Edgewater residents, businesses sue city of Chicago over Broadway zoning changes

A group of Edgewater residents are suing the city of Chicago over zoning changes meant to promote increased density along a nearly 2-mile stretch of Broadway.The group, dubbed Edgewater Residents for Responsible Development, said the city violated property owners’ due process rights, in addition to city and state zoning requirements, in a complaint filed Monday in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Thirteen Edgewater residents and business owners are also plaintiffs.The lawsuit comes about three months after the city approved a hotly contested development framework for Broadway, which included more than 20 ordinances impacting what could be built along the central commercial corridor. The ordinances cover a 1.5-mile stretch of Broadway and hundreds of properties. The new zoning classification allows for buildings up to 80 feet and “a series of uses that are incompatible with the existing neighborhood,” according to the complaint, such as gas stations, hotels, large entertainment venues, recycling facilities and crematoriums.The group is asking the court to revert the zoning to its previous classifications, invalidating the ordinances passed in October 2025.A spokesperson for the city of Chicago said it hadn’t yet been served the complaint, and that it doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The office of Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), whose ward includes the area, referred the Chicago Sun-Times to the Department of Law, which said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Manaa-Hoppenworth was a strong advocate for rezoning Broadway and previously said it would create a “more welcoming environment for developers and investors and business owners…

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