Oak Park, Illinois Village Departments -- Planning

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Community Planning and Development

Community Development Block Grants | Historic Preservation | Planned Development | Planning | Zoning

Planning

General goals are set out for the Village in its comprehensive plan, an advisory document under state law. The comprehensive plan is a long-range policy guide for the future physical and social development of the Village.
The goals of planning are accomplished through zoning, which is a legal tool consisting of rules, adopted by ordinance, designed to control the physical character of buildings and the use of land in the Village. Zoning divides the Village into districts or zones within which particular uses are established, such as commercial or single family housing. Zoning also regulates building height, bulk setbacks, open space and other development standards. Zoning requirements may vary from district to district, but they must be uniform within districts. Zoning runs with the land, that is it does not change with a change in landowners. In most cases, only the Village Board can change the Zoning.

Some flexibility is built into the Zoning Ordinance by allowing for variances or other deviations from the basic rules. Variances are legal actions that can be granted by the Zoning Board of Appeals after hearing legal testimony demonstrating that the present Zoning creates a unique hardship on the property. Once granted, variances cannot be appealed to the Village Board.

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