Chicago zoning comparison · residential vs mixed-use on the same corridor

RT-4 vs B2-2: which lets you build more?

B2-2 carries the larger envelope — FAR 2.2 vs 1.2; the height limits are 50 ft vs 38 ft. They also come from different district families, so the use mix differs: RT-4 allows two-flats, townhouses and multi-unit residential; B2-2 allows ground-floor retail, multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings and offices.

Figures originally read from a Title 17 excerpt in a third-party zoning report dated 18 September 2024. On 24 August 2026 the bulk standards — floor area ratio, lot area per unit, building height and minimum lot area — were re-checked against the current adopted edition 2026-S-73 and found unchanged. Setbacks and parking ratios were not part of that pass and still rest on the 2024 reading. Data snapshot generated 2026-08-24. How this data is produced and checked →

Side by side

RT-4
Residential Two-Flat, Townhouse 4
B2-2
Neighborhood Mixed-Use 2
Max FAR 1.2 2.2
Max height 38 ft 50 ft
Lot area per unit 1,000 sf 1,000 sf
Units on a standard 25×125 ft lot 3 3
Min lot area 1,650 sf —
Residential parking / unit 1 1
Max lot coverage 55% 70%
Permitted uses two-flats, townhouses and multi-unit residential ground-floor retail, multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings and offices
Connected Communities bulk bonus tier No No

Green marks the more permissive value. Setbacks are contextual in both districts and omitted here — see the district pages for the working scalars and the governing formulas.

Full district breakdowns