MAT had previously been given until September 30th to apply for a permit to regularize the parking lot. Today, attorney Patrick Daley Thompson explained on MAT’s behalf that they did not meet that deadline because they had to get a survey and new drawings to facilitate the application, and that took time. New drawings were required because no survey, drawings, or other related work had taken place since the demolition last year. Thompson informed the judge that MAT would submit its application for an administrative adjustment later that afternoon, which they did. No one from MAT appeared in court.
An administrative adjustment is a closed door process in which the Zoning Administrator alone decides if zoning relief will be granted. This process is only available to MAT if the city accepts that the parking lot is a temporary structure, and even then there is question as to whether it’s allowable. City Code Section 17-8-0509 dictates that all structures - including parking lots - within 100 feet of the river should go through the Planned Development (PD) process, which includes public meetings and public comment. The PD process is also the usual mechanism through which the Chicago River Design Guidelines requiring a public riverwalk and other amenities are enforced.
There are no recent examples of temporary structures on the riverfront allowed outside of a PD. The plans for the Chicago Fire stadium allowed for a temporary surface lot as part of its PD.
MAT’s next hearing is set for January 14, 2027.
