The City of Chicago's Sustainable Development Policy (SDP) was updated in 2017 with a menu of strategies that can be tailored to fit a project’s design and use. Each strategy is assigned a point value. New construction projects are required to achieve 100 points and renovations of existing buildings are required to reach 50 or 25 points, depending on scope. 

Projects that are subject to the policy can achieve compliance by selecting menu items that achieve the required point total, including third-party certification providers that provide some or all of the required points. See the SDP Handbook or Spreadsheet for menu items and compliance paths. A 2024 update to the policy is pending.

The following projects are subject to the policy.

New Construction (100 points required)

• All Planned Developments
• Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects receiving more than $1 million in funds
• Affordable, multi-family housing projects using financial assistance by the City involving: HOME loans, CDBG loans, Chicago Low-income Housing Trust Fund, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), TIF, tax-exempt bonds, private activity bonds, 501(c)(3) bonds, Donation Tax Credits
• Projects subject to the Air Quality Ordinance (17-9-0117-G).

Renovations (50 points required for substantial renovations, 25 points required for moderate renovations)

• Planned Developments
• Tax Increment Financing (TIF) projects receiving more than $1 million
• Projects using Class L property tax credits
• Affordable, multi-family housing projects with more than five units being provided the following types of financial assistance by the City: HOME loans, CDBG loans, Chicago Low-income Housing Trust Fund, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), TIF, tax-exempt bonds, private activity bonds, 501(c)(3) bonds, allocations of LIHTCs from the Private Activity Board, Donation Tax Credits
• Projects subject to the Air Quality Ordinance (17-9-0117-G).

Renovation projects are defined as follows.

• Moderate: partial or minor upgrades to building systems and minor repairs to the exterior envelope.
• Substantial: new and/or upgraded building systems and extensive repairs to the exterior envelope.

The below resources are available to assist with projects seeking compliance approval.

Spreadsheet

• Provides a broad overview of the menu of sustainable strategies available to developers

Handbook

• Provides a description of each strategy
• Includes links for more information about each strategy
• Lists documentation required to verify compliance

Compliance Form

• Required for every project subject to the policy
• Identifies chosen strategies for a given project
• Becomes part of a project's zoning agreement (PD), redevelopment agreement (RDA), intergovernmental agreement (IGA), housing regulatory agreement or Class L Ordinance

Comments and questions should be directed to bradley.roback@cityofchicago.org or 312.744.8563.