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Old 07-28-2020, 06:48 AM
 
120 posts, read 117,899 times
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I’m looking at some warehouse/industrial spaces in and around Chicago. Not a massive warehouse, just something like a single/double bay drive-in with offices in it. I would make the offices my living quarters and park in the garage space with plenty of room for projects. Obviously there are logistics issues with this - heating/plumbing/etc. but are there any legal issues I should be aware of? I know certain places are not zoned for residential but how strict is this? Does anyone live like this and have some insight?
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Old 07-28-2020, 06:57 PM
 
Location: ✶✶✶✶
15,216 posts, read 30,548,129 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodBeer View Post
I’m looking at some warehouse/industrial spaces in and around Chicago. Not a massive warehouse, just something like a single/double bay drive-in with offices in it. I would make the offices my living quarters and park in the garage space with plenty of room for projects. Obviously there are logistics issues with this - heating/plumbing/etc. but are there any legal issues I should be aware of? I know certain places are not zoned for residential but how strict is this? Does anyone live like this and have some insight?




https://images4.loopnet.com/d2/6mady...M/document.pdf

Nothing in this says you can't live on an industrial zoned site as I see it. Could be wrong, but I don't think you actually need a permit to live somewhere. There are apartments over storefronts and industrial-residential conversions of all sorts. Your local alderman probably doesn't care that you're sleeping in a warehouse office, or maybe you just parked an RV inside your double bay warehouse/loft project dojo thingy because converting the office was too much work or might have needed permitting (which can be obtained anyway).

Your local alderman probably doesn't care until, say, you want to convert an old warehouse over here on Pulaski into a music venue. Then there's traffic and noise and pissed off neighbors in the streets off the industrial drag. You just living there on your own isn't going to bring any of that.
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Old 07-29-2020, 06:10 AM
 
120 posts, read 117,899 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jfre81 View Post
https://images4.loopnet.com/d2/6mady...M/document.pdf

Nothing in this says you can't live on an industrial zoned site as I see it. Could be wrong, but I don't think you actually need a permit to live somewhere. There are apartments over storefronts and industrial-residential conversions of all sorts. Your local alderman probably doesn't care that you're sleeping in a warehouse office, or maybe you just parked an RV inside your double bay warehouse/loft project dojo thingy because converting the office was too much work or might have needed permitting (which can be obtained anyway).

Your local alderman probably doesn't care until, say, you want to convert an old warehouse over here on Pulaski into a music venue. Then there's traffic and noise and pissed off neighbors in the streets off the industrial drag. You just living there on your own isn't going to bring any of that.
Awesome, thanks for that info. I don’t plan on doing anything crazy with the space, just basically want a big garage/project space for personal use and I’m ok living there as long as it’s feasible. Ultimately it will be cheaper than finding a house with a big garage and also I won’t have to deal with residential neighbors. As long as the space has plumbing and heat (as many of them do) I can make it work. I know this depends on the landlord also but there are a lot of options for this type of property. Being able to park inside and not deal with street parking issues is a huge plus.
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Old 07-29-2020, 07:10 AM
 
Location: Oak Park, IL
247 posts, read 235,879 times
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I would consult with a real estate attorney before moving forward on anything; there are zoning laws and ordinances - perhaps more so to keep commercial businesses from operating at a residential address, but worth confirming that this would be allowable.
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Old 07-31-2020, 07:53 AM
 
120 posts, read 117,899 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OPRFmama View Post
I would consult with a real estate attorney before moving forward on anything; there are zoning laws and ordinances - perhaps more so to keep commercial businesses from operating at a residential address, but worth confirming that this would be allowable.
I actually have a friend who’s a real estate attorney in Chicago, I’ll run it by him.
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Old 08-06-2020, 10:52 PM
 
Location: Beautiful and sanitary DC
2,503 posts, read 3,538,769 times
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Industrial ("Manufacturing") zoning in Chicago prohibits residential occupancy. In that link above (official version here) you'll notice that "household living" is omitted from 17-5-0207-A. The way use-based zoning works, anything not specifically *allowed* is *banned*.

Many industrial-looking areas of Chicago are zoned Commercial, rather than Manufacturing; check the map here. Business and Commercial zones are more lenient, with residential broadly allowed above the 1st floor and sometimes allowed on the 1st floor.

A real estate attorney generally deals in transactions, and land use attorneys are a different trade.

Really, though, the point of enforcement for zoning is when you pull a building permit. If you never do much construction, chances are nobody will notice that you're living there.
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