On July 16, 2025, the Chicago City Council adopted O2025-0015577, amending the Chicago Zoning Ordinance to eliminate parking requirements for transit-served locations (TSLs).

Property owners may now develop projects with zero parking spaces by-right in TSLs located in any zoning district except for “D” Downtown Districts. Previously, an administrative adjustment was required to reduce parking requirements by more than 50%; under the new ordinance, that approval is no longer necessary for most TSLs.

In Chicago, a transit-served location is defined as a property within

• 2,640 feet of a CTA or METRA rail station exit or entrance, or
• 1,320 feet of specific CTA bus corridors.

Administrative zoning approvals are still required to reduce parking by more than 50% in two cases: (1) the property is in a “D” Downtown District, or (2) the property qualifies as a TSL solely due to proximity to a METRA station.

This ordinance also expands eligibility for TSL parking reductions to all “R” Residential Zoning Districts. Previously, such reductions were limited to “RM” Residential Multi-Unit Districts.

For questions about the impact of the new ordinance, please contact Liz Butler, Janet Stengle, Braeden Lord or any member of Taft’s Chicago Land Use group.