Legal marijuana sales may be restricted from most of downtown Chicago

By Vincent Caruso

09/18/2019

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed zoning changes that would keep marijuana dispensaries out of most of the downtown business district after recreational use becomes legal on Jan. 1 in Illinois.

TAGS: Brendan Reilly, Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, marijuana, zoning

Expanding aldermanic power spells disaster for Chicago businesses

By Chris Lentino

05/04/2017

Since Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office in 2011, aldermen have been on the defensive regarding their power. The latest attempt to retain some of that power is taking place along a stretch of 71st Street in the 5th Ward.

TAGS: Chicago, Leslie Hairston, zoning

New ordinance will reduce building downtown, raise rents in Chicago

By Mark Adams

06/06/2016

If Chicago wants to alleviate poverty and economic inequality, the city needs to reform its zoning laws to allow more building – not institute a new tax on development.

TAGS: affordable housing, Chicago, zoning

How zoning rules are helping Houston overtake Chicago as America’s 3rd-largest city

By Mark Adams

06/03/2016

As Chicago’s population shrinks, Houston is set to overtake the Windy City as the third-largest city in America. Illinois’ slumping economy is a major reason for that, but the cities’ different zoning rules show how regulations can promote growth – or stifle it.

TAGS: Chicago, housing, regulations, zoning

How Chicago’s affordable-housing mandates make housing less affordable

By Mark Adams

05/17/2016

Affordable-housing mandates are sold to voters as a way to balance development with the need to build housing for the least well-off. In reality, these mandates add to the barriers that prevent developers from making housing more affordable and give rise to corruption in Chicago.

TAGS: affordable housing, Chicago, zoning

Zoning restrictions are making housing unaffordable and shrinking the middle class in Chicago

By Mark Adams

05/16/2016

Bad zoning laws drive up the cost of home ownership and put a middle-class lifestyle out of reach for too many Chicagoans.

TAGS: middle class, regulations, zoning

Chicago remains a segregated city by race and income – and government deserves much of the blame

By Mark Adams

03/04/2016

City zoning policies serve to keep many neighborhoods segregated. These rules also keep lower-income residents of all races out of popular areas, allowing city officials to shape who can live where and making housing more expensive.

TAGS: zoning

Tattoo controversy shows how zoning regulation harms small-business growth

By Bryant Jackson-Green

09/02/2014

Should the right to open a new business be put up to a public vote? At a meeting this week in Geneva, Ill., aldermen voted to reject tattoo artist Ramiro Guillen’s plan to open a tattoo parlor on Randall road because of opposition from other business owners. And, one alderman speculated, because of stereotypes about...

TAGS: Chicago, red tape, small business, zoning

2014 Chicago budget includes tax increases, no pension solutions

By Benjamin VanMetre

10/23/2013

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel released today his 2014 plan to close the city’s looming $338.7 million budget gap. His proposal is heavy on tax hikes and short on solutions. The mayor vowed not to close the budget gap with higher property taxes this year. Instead, the plan is to nickel and dime Chicagoans with tax...

TAGS: 401(k), amusement tax, Chicago, cigarette tax, pensions, Rahm Emanuel, zoning

Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

Each year, tens of billions of dollars flow through Illinois state government.1 These flows all depend on methods of payment. In deciding on those payment methods, policymakers must consider a number of important factors, including security controls, cost effectiveness, accessibility, speed and allowance for choice. This report shows that by adopting best practices across all...

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Power in payments: Illinois can help unbanked residents, save money by adopting best practices in payment methods

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Ifeoma Nkemdi

Policy lessons from Illinois’ exodus of people and money

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students