PD Planned Development
Tall buildings, campuses and large developments that must be negotiated with city planners. Developers gain design flexibility but must work with the Department of Planning & Development to ensure the project serves the surrounding neighborhood. Standards default to the prior underlying zoning district.
Marina City (Bertrand Goldberg, 1964), the twin “corncob” towers on the Chicago River, a signature Planned Development. A PD is a large project negotiated with the Department of Planning & Development: bulk, height, and use are set through the development’s own ordinance in exchange for public benefits, so there’s no fixed underlying envelope to diagram.
Specifications
- Zoning Ordinance reference
- §17-8-0100
View in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance - Floor area ratio (FAR)
- Must attempt to use whatever FAR the property had before City approval of the Planned Development.
- Maximum building height
- Must attempt to use whatever maximum building height the property had before City approval of the Planned Development. Actual height is negotiated with the Department of Planning & Development.
- Lot area per unit (density)
- No residential density standard (residential not a primary use).
- Minimum lot area
- —
- Rear yard open space
- —
- On-site open space
- —
- Parking requirements
- —
Setbacks
- Front yard
- Must attempt to use whatever setbacks the property had before City approval of the Planned Development.
- Side yard
- Must attempt to use whatever setbacks the property had before City approval of the Planned Development.
- Rear yard
- Must attempt to use whatever setbacks the property had before City approval of the Planned Development.
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.