US EditionChicago City Council Committee Approves Additional Dwelling Unit, or 'Granny Flat,' Ordinance
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JUL 14 – Chicago aims to address a 120,000-unit affordable housing gap by expanding accessory dwelling units citywide, with supporters citing increased equity and critics warning of neighborhood changes.
- Chicago's City Council Zoning Committee approved an ordinance on July 15, 2025, to legalize additional dwelling units citywide with limited restrictions.
- The ordinance builds on a 2021 pilot program addressing housing shortages and aims to streamline ADU construction without requiring aldermanic approval.
- Key provisions include allowing one to three ADUs per block annually, requiring homeowners to live in the main building, banning short-term rentals, and permitting parking exemptions.
- Opponents like Alderman Marty Quinn argue the ordinance threatens neighborhood stability and local control, while supporters stress the need to expand affordable housing amid rising prices.
- The measure now awaits a full City Council vote, which could reshape Chicago's housing landscape by increasing density and housing options amid ongoing debate.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Chicago ‘granny flats,’ coach houses one step closer to citywide legalization with vote
Aldermen advanced a measure that could legalize “granny flats” citywide with limited restrictions, a move advocates say will create more affordable housing. The City Council’s Zoning Committee voted 13-7 to advance the additional dwelling unit ordinance. The result tees up a Wednesday vote by the full City Council, when aldermen could give a green light clearing the way for new garden apartments, attic-to-housing conversions and coach housing. “…
Key City Panel Votes 13-7 to Legalize Coach Houses, Granny Flats Across Chicago
If approved by the City Council on Wednesday, the measure would weaken the decades-old tradition known as aldermanic prerogative that gives a City Council member the final authority over housing developments in their own wards.
Measure To Allow New Coach Houses, Basement Units Citywide Advances — With Restrictions
CHICAGO — A long-delayed measure to allow the construction of coach houses and other additional dwelling units citywide has been advanced by a key committee, despite an occasionally tense debate on Tuesday in City Council chambers. City Council’s zoning committee around noon Tuesday advanced a compromise version of a plan first proposed two years ago by Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) that would allow additional dwelling units — commonly known as ADU…
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