# Upcoming zoning changes help you find leads for future work It's possible to use Chicago Cityscape to generate leads on future demolition and new construction work by monitoring zoning changes. Before the Chicago City Council grants a zoning change, a property owner files an application with the Chicago City Clerk, which posts the application in its database. Chicago Cityscape has a copy of that database so that we can show zoning change applications on our maps. We also read each zoning change application to summarize the proposed work (what the owner or developer is proposing to demolish and build) and a list of the developers, architects, and lawyers involved. ## Locate zoning change applications in the pipeline To accomplish this task of using zoning changes to find leads, you'll spend most of your time on the [Zoning Changes & Ordinances](http://chicagocityscape.com/ordinances.php) page. When you open this page, the map will load and show a lot of blue-colored markers. These indicate zoning change applications. Green-colored markers that have the same icon as the blue markers indicate zoning change applications that were passed and adopted by City Council. If you prefer to work in a specific location or geography, you should filter the map of zoning change applications by Place, or by drawing your own search area using the two tools on the map. ## Recommended filters to apply ### Filter by Place We have over 38,000 Places that represent a slice of Chicago. For new users, we recommend filtering by Wards (if you know their numbers or elected alder's names) or Community Areas. 1. In the Filter by Place search field, start typing the first few letters of the Community Area name (try Near West Side for an area that covers the West Loop), or "ward 33" to select the 33rd Ward on the Northwest Side. 2. Once you've selected this Place, click the "Apply Filters" button. The map and spreadsheet will update to show only zoning change applications – both applied for and passed - in that Place. See also: [[Property Finder in a Place Report]] ### Filter by drawing your own search area On nearly all of our big maps, including the Zoning Changes & Ordinances, you can select the rectangle or polygon drawing tools and draw a search area on the map. After you've drawn the area, the map and spreadsheet will automatically update to show only the zoning change applications within that boundary. Start by clicking on the drawing tool you want. The rectangle tool will suffice for most searches, and it's the fastest to use. Click on the button with the black rectangle symbol. Then, click on the map where you want the first corner of the rectangle to go. Click on the map a second time in the location where you want the opposite corner of the rectangle. As soon as you click the second time to drop the rectangle's opposite corner, the map and spreadsheet will update. You can save this drawing as a Personal Place for future reference by clicking on the shape and clicking "Save this Personal Place". ## Review interesting zoning change applications As a Cityscape Real Estate Pro member, you have access to our exclusive summaries and list of people and organizations involved. Click on the "Details of O 2018-xxxx" link for a zoning change application that describes a project that's relevant to your company's line of work. That zoning change application's details will open in a new tab where you can read our exclusive summary of the proposal, see a listing of the developer, architect, and lawyer, as well as see where it is. Some zoning change applications will appear on the map with multiple markers. This is because our system looks for addresses in the application's title and finds those on the map. Occasionally you will see a zoning change application drawn as a rectangle. These are manually drawn, and we draw these for notable projects that cover a large area. ## Get leads Use the information in the summary, and the list of involved organizations, to develop a contact list. If you need their contact information, you can often find it listed in the original zoning change application, which is linked with the title "Read the full application and ordinance". If you cannot find their information in the original application, [contact us](http://chicagocityscape.com/contact.php) and we will try to find it. # Related articles - [[Play - Proposed Projects]]