New Zoning chair Villegas begins chipping away at backlog of stalled projects

Newly appointed Zoning Committee Chair Gilbert Villegas led his first meeting Wednesday and started chipping away at the backlog of 138 projects stalled by the stalemate over who should head up one of the City Council’s most powerful committees.

It’s a good thing Villegas (36th) has development experience and relationships with major developers from his days as chief of staff for the Illinois Capital Development Board. He’ll need it to assure developers frustrated by the political infighting that Chicago is open for business.

The message was delivered even before Wednesday’s marathon session, the first of two Zoning Committee meetings this month to clear the decks of stalled projects that included the office-to-residential conversion project at 30 N. LaSalle. After a nearly four-hour session, Villegas thanked colleagues for approving an overall total of 2,000 units.

Villegas has spent the three and a half weeks since his selection as Zoning chair meeting with developers, colleagues and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who was forced to acquiesce to Villegas after failing to install his first, second and third choices for Zoning chair.

Their recent meeting was understandably frosty. Villegas made it clear to the mayor that he would not tolerate Johnson’s pattern of putting forth “huge policy ideas” and “setting the table” to pass those items with discussions that include only his progressive allies.

“As we’re talking about legislation in zoning, there will have to be real conversations with all of the stakeholders and not just a select few where we’re creating an echo chamber of folks that just want to pass something,” Villegas said. “We’ve got to make sure that we are eliminating the red tape and not putting forward agenda items that, in essence, create duct tape.”

Villegas also didn’t mince his words on the so-called “Hazel Johnson Cumulative Impacts Ordinance” that has languished in committee since the mayor introduced the plan more than a year ago. The ordinance would mandate that new industrial projects in Chicago neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of industrial pollution conduct studies to analyze the combined effects of air, water and soil pollution.

It would remove zoning “by right” for heavy industrial, logistics and recycling facilities. Instead, they would be required to obtain special use permits or clear the more rigorous review process reserved for planned developments.

“I explained to him that I don’t think the votes are there. However, if he felt really strongly about it — the ordinance has been in committee for a long time — he should” use a parliamentary maneuver to force an immediate vote, Villegas said.

Villegas added he told Johnson that labor and business are united in opposition to his environmental justice initiative, in part because they “have not been told what it is the mayor’s office is trying to accomplish through this ordinance.”

“This is just more delays when we’re trying to get development going. … I don’t understand why we’re continuing to put more barriers before people who want to develop in the city,” Villegas said. “This is another campaign promise that the mayor is … trying to check off his progressive to-do list.”

Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jack Lavin applauded Villegas for taking a hard line against the cumulative impact ordinance.

“It will slow development and kill development. It's set up to slow down development," he said.

The business group is equally determined to work with Villegas to block the so-called “Last Mile Ordinance” proposed nearly a year ago by Southwest Side Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th). That ordinance would establish rigid environmental, labor and traffic standards for last-mile warehouses and e-commerce fulfillment centers.

“I’m excited about Chair Villegas because he understands the business community. His background before being an alder was moving big projects through the development process,” said Lavin, who knows Villegas from their days together as high-ranking state officials in the administration of then-Gov. Pat Quinn.

In the run-up to Wednesday’s meeting, Villegas warned colleagues to pack a lunch and be prepared to stick around for a meeting that could last up to six hours. A few hours in, Villegas told his colleagues “sandwiches, cookies and chips” were available outside the City Council chambers “to entice you to stay here.”

Johnson has vowed to "work with anyone" to build a safe and affordable city. But Villegas got a different message during their meeting.

"It was more like, `You're not my No. 1 choice, but I've got to deal with you and we move on," he said. "I'm OK with that."