Plan Commission Takes Up North Branch Framework, 11 Acres
Chicago's planning department asks the Plan Commission to adopt a framework for about 11 acres of the North Branch Industrial Corridor south of Grand Avenue.
Illustration- Source Briefing
- Public record
Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development is asking the Plan Commission to adopt a framework update for about 11 acres of the North Branch Industrial Corridor south of Grand Avenue. The resolution is on the Nov. 19 agenda and is a proposal, not an adopted plan.
Why it matters
Frameworks set the ground rules before individual projects arrive. The agenda says the update gives recommendations to guide future public and private projects in a way consistent with the surrounding downtown context, and that its recommendations support mixed-use development at downtown density levels. For an industrial-corridor site, that is a signal about what zoning and planned-development requests the city would be inclined to favor.
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The area sits in the 27th and 34th Wards and is bounded by Grand Avenue on the north, the Union Pacific/Chicago North Western tracks and portions of Jefferson Street on the east, Kinzie Street on the south and Desplaines Street on the west. A framework of this kind does not rezone land by itself.
The numbers
The agenda puts the study area at approximately 11 acres. It does not list unit counts, floor area ratios or a dollar figure, and the agenda text we pulled is cut off before the full list of recommendations, so we do not report specific density caps. For comparison, the Plan Commission is also scheduled to hear a planned development bid at 931 N. Halsted, also along the North Branch corridor.
What’s next
The Plan Commission hears the resolution on Nov. 19. Owners of parcels in the 11 acres should read the full framework document for height and use recommendations, because later planned-development applications are likely to be measured against it. Check the Chicago market page for follow-ups.
Quick answers
- What is the latest on Chicago Department of Planning and Development in Chicago?
- Chicago's planning department asks the Plan Commission to adopt a framework for about 11 acres of the North Branch Industrial Corridor south of Grand Avenue.
- What are the key numbers for Chicago Department of Planning and Development?
- framework area: 11 acres; 27th and 34th: 2 wards; hearing date: Nov. 19.
- Where does the information on Chicago Department of Planning and Development come from?
- The story cites Chicago Plan Commission.
On the record
The November 2026 Plan Commission agenda lists a resolution to adopt the North Branch Framework Update for the Area South of Grand Avenue, about 11 acres in the 27th and 34th Wards bounded by Grand Avenue, the Union Pacific tracks, Kinzie Street and Desplaines Street; hearing Nov. 19, 2026.
Public record · chicago.gov