DR-7 Downtown Residential District
Downtown Residential — high-rise housing in areas like the Gold Coast and Near North. Height is set through Planned Development review.
Example on a 120 × 200 ft lot. The dashed box is the maximum zoning envelope, the buildable footprint after setbacks, raised to the §17-8-0512 Planned Development height threshold (155 ft). The solid building is an illustrative example at FAR 7: covering the full footprint reaches only ~10 stories before the floor-area cap binds, so a taller building needs a smaller floor plate. Downtown massing steps a slender tower back from the street, spending its floor area on height rather than coverage. Front yard is context-dependent (average of adjacent lots); actual varies.
Specifications
- Zoning Ordinance reference
- §17-4-0100
View in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance - Floor area ratio (FAR)
- 7
- Maximum building height
- No fixed limit; tall buildings require Planned Development review and height is negotiated with the Department of Planning & Development. §17-8-0512.
- Lot area per unit (density)
- 145 sq ft of lot area per dwelling unit. 90 sq ft per efficiency unit; 75 sq ft per SRO unit.
- Minimum lot area
- —
- Rear yard open space
- —
- On-site open space
- —
- Parking requirements
- Downtown districts set their own parking standard rather than the §17-10-0207 residential ratio.
Setbacks
- Front yard
- The lesser of 15 ft or 12% of lot depth, or the average of the adjacent lots. §17-2-0305.
- Side yard
- None required.
- Rear yard
- The lesser of 50 ft or ~28–30% of lot depth, applied to portions of the building 18 ft or more above grade.
Allowed Uses
Curated from the §17-4-0207 use table. P = permitted by-right; S = special-use approval required. Always confirm against the full ordinance text.
- Household living (dwelling units, multi-unit, townhouse, two-flat)
- Group living (assisted living, nursing home, community homes)
- Cultural exhibits & libraries
- Parks & recreation
- Office
- Eating & drinking establishments
- Food/beverage retail & general retail
- Financial services
- Personal service
- Medical service
- Entertainment & spectator sports
- Adult use
- Hospital
- Religious assembly
- Drive-through facility
- Animal services
- Major utilities & services
- Manufacturing / industrial service (limited)
- Warehousing / freight (limited)
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.