POS-3 Parks and Open Space District

Open Space or Natural Area – Millennium Park, the Lakefront, natural preserves

Big Marsh Park on the Southeast Side, an elevated boardwalk trail winding through restored marshland and prairie, POS-3 (Open Space or Natural Area) land. POS districts have no fixed FAR, height, or setback limits; the size and design of everything in the park is approved directly by the governing park agency (the Chicago Park District), so there’s no buildable envelope to diagram.

Specifications

Zoning Ordinance reference
§17-6-0200
View in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance
Floor area ratio (FAR)
Determined by the local government agency that owns the park or open space.
Maximum building height
Size, location, and design of all buildings must be approved by the local government agency that owns the park or open space.
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
None required, unless the property borders an R-zoned lot that faces the same street — then the front setback must be at least 50% of that R lot's required front setback.
Side yard
1 ft of setback required for each foot of building height.
Rear yard
1 ft of setback required for each foot of building height.

Allowed Uses

Curated from the §17-6-0203-E use table. P = permitted by-right; S = special-use approval required. Always confirm against the full ordinance text.

Permitted by-right
  • Passive open space
  • Trails for hiking, biking or running
  • Arboretums & botanical gardens
  • Beaches; fishing pier; canoe/boat launch
  • Forest or nature preserve
  • Utility service, minor
Special use
  • Utility service, major
All Chicago Zoning Districts View POS districts on the map
Related POS districts
POS-1POS-2POS-4 POS overview →

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.