B2-1 Neighborhood Mixed-Use District
Neighborhood mixed-use. Like B1 but allows residential on the ground floor, supporting a finer-grained mix of housing and storefronts.
Example on a 25 × 125 ft lot. The dashed box is the maximum zoning envelope, the buildable footprint after setbacks, raised to the 38 ft height limit. The solid building is an illustrative example at FAR 1.2: a 2-story building on a shallower footprint. Every floor covers the full width but only about 68% of the lot depth, so the 2 floors reach FAR 1.2 exactly rather than stopping a story short at full envelope depth. B2 allows dwelling units on the ground floor by right (the B2 distinction from B1/B3), so the example reads as all-residential, with house-scaled windows at grade rather than a commercial storefront.
Specifications
- Zoning Ordinance reference
- §17-3-0103
View in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance - Floor area ratio (FAR)
- 1.2
- Maximum building height
- Varies by lot frontage and whether the building has ground-floor commercial space. §17-3-0408.
- Lot area per unit (density)
- 2,500 sq ft of lot area per dwelling unit. 2,500 sq ft per efficiency unit; SRO units not allowed.
- Minimum lot area
- —
- Rear yard open space
- —
- On-site open space
- —
- Parking requirements
- 1 space per dwelling unit. §17-10-0207.
Setbacks
- Front yard
- None required, unless the property borders an R-zoned lot — then at least 50% of that lot's front setback. §17-3-0404.
- Side yard
- None required, unless the property borders an R-zoned lot — then that lot's front setback applies.
- Rear yard
- At least 30 ft where the building contains dwelling units. If the rear borders the side of an R-zoned lot, match that lot's side setback; if it borders the R lot's rear, at least 16 ft.
Allowed Uses
Curated from the §17-3-0207 use table. P = permitted by-right; S = special-use approval required. Always confirm against the full ordinance text.
- General retail sales
- Limited restaurants
- Offices & medical service
- Personal & consumer-repair services
- Dwelling units ON or above the ground floor (by-right — the B2 distinction)
- Detached house, two-flat, multi-unit, SRO, townhouse, elderly housing (below 2nd floor)
- Business live/work unit
- Day care, parks, postal, public safety
- Indoor sports & recreation; small venues (<150)
- Bed & breakfast, vacation/shared housing
- Drive-through facilities
- Religious assembly, schools, group living
- Hookah bar, shooting range
Reference figures are modeled from the Chicago Zoning Ordinance (Title 17) for general guidance and do not constitute zoning or legal advice. Lot-specific limits depend on frontage, depth, adjacencies and overlays — analyze a specific address for exact figures. Always confirm against the official ordinance.