KIG Analytics used Chicago’s Open Data Portal and data from the Cook County Assessor and City of Chicago Zoning Ordinance to produce a heat map showing the available FAR in Chicago’s top neighborhoods. The height of each column represents the available FAR on each lot, and the heatmap overlay shows where there are multiple buildings within a short distance of each other with substantial FAR availability.
“By multiplying the lot area from the Cook County Assessor’s database by the allowable FAR for each zoning district outlined in the City’s Zoning Ordinance, the team determined the maximum square footage that could be developed on each lot,” said Marc Rutzen, KIG Analytics Data Officer.
“By then subtracting the square footage of each existing building from this figure, KIG Analytics calculated the remaining square footage that could be developed on each lot.
KIG Analytics released this analysis to help developers looking to locate new opportunities, or for property owners interested in determining the potential redevelopment value of their properties.
“Developers come to us all the time asking for help finding potential development sites. We saw the potential in combining these datasets to provide developers with a tool they could use to identify the most promising development sites throughout the City,” said Susan Tjarksen, Principal and Managing Broker at KIG.