Zone Change to Create More Marijuana Business Opportunities in Chicago

“The councilors on Wednesday submitted Mayor Lori Lightfoots’ proposal to relax zoning regulations in Chicago to open marijuana dispensaries,” reports John Byrne.

The zoning changes would open up a wider swath of downtown to marijuana businesses. Mayor Lightfoot is pushing for the changes to “make it easier for minority candidates to get into a lucrative venture that is now locally dominated by white companies,” Byrnes said.

The city’s current zoning plans for marijuana businesses, first presented in 2019, bans marijuana businesses in most of the city center, which extends as far as the River North neighborhood. The changes would narrow that ban to a small portion of downtown, including downtown Michigan Avenue, the South Loop, and the area approaching Navy Pier from Michigan Avenue.

“Dozens of licensees in a first round of state marijuana license approvals chose to open in the suburbs because the zoning process is easier in surrounding cities than Chicago,” a city source quoted by Byrnes said. “[T]he hopes that allowing pharmacies to operate on more prime real estate will give minority cannabis license holders better opportunities to get their businesses up and running in Chicago.