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What is Shape Oak Park?
Oak Park's tree-lined streets, historic homes, and busy corridors are the place we love. But housing costs are rising, and household needs are changing. Over the last year, we’ve engaged...Read more
What is Shape Oak Park?
Oak Park's tree-lined streets, historic homes, and busy corridors are the place we love. But housing costs are rising, and household needs are changing. Over the last year, we’ve engaged the community and studied current housing conditions in Oak Park to enable more housing, more choice, and greater affordability for everyone.
What's Happening with Zoning in Our Neighborhoods?
Right now, five of Oak Park's eight residential districts only allow single-family homes, even though duplexes and small apartment buildings already exist there as non-conforming uses. Shape Oak Park proposes clearer standards that make it easier for residents, developers, and village staff to figure out what’s actually allowed on any property, while keeping the setbacks and standards that fit each neighborhood.
What Is Happening Along the Corridors?
Oak Park's corridors are where we shop, eat, and gather, but the zoning rules governing them haven't kept up with what our community actually needs. For the last few decades, housing near transit has grown in demand. Through our engagement, we learned that people are seeking smaller units, the ability to downsize while still being connected to their community, and more foot traffic that helps strengthen the local economy.
Shape Oak Park makes it easier to build housing above and alongside local businesses, with building heights that step down to protect the neighborhoods next door.
What's Actually Changing? A Look at the Full Zoning Map
Oak Park's current zoning map has more than a dozen districts with confusing, overlapping rules. Shape Oak Park simplifies that into a cleaner framework: Neighborhood Districts, Mixed-Use Districts, and Downtown Sub-Districts, each with a clear purpose and consistent standards.