Glenview regulates commercial property through ten non-residential districts — three business (B-1, B-2, B-3), one downtown form-based code (D-D), two Glen-specific districts (MURC mixed-use retail and S/L/E sports/leisure/entertainment), one hospital district (H-1), two industrial (I-1 limited commercial, I-2 light industrial), and one public lands (P-1). Two structural features make Glenview unusual: D-D Downtown Development is a form-based code regulating building lines, step-backs, and street frontages along Glenview and Waukegan Roads — not just permitted uses — and the MXC and S/L/E districts were custom-designed for The Glen redevelopment, allowing residential up to 36 units per acre above ground floor and entertainment venues up to 7,000 seats. Note also that adult-use cannabis businesses are prohibited village-wide. Here's where the most common commercial uses actually fit.
🛍️ Retail Boutiques & Specialty Stores
Fit across D-D Downtown Development (full ground-floor retail required on Glenview Road's Red Block frontages), MURC at The Glen (active ground-floor uses required, building setback only 5 feet), B-1 Limited Business (neighborhood retail compatible with adjacent residential), and B-2 General Business along Waukegan Road. D-D's Glenview Road Corridor is the highest-rent retail address in the village.
☕ Coffee Shops & Cafes
Permitted across D-D, MURC, B-1, and B-2. Drive-thru formats matter: drive-thru uses are prohibited in MURC (the Glen town center is pedestrian-only by design) and require conditional use approval in D-D. For drive-thru coffee, look at B-2 or B-3 along Waukegan Road. For pedestrian café formats, the D-D Glenview Road Corridor offers 18-foot sidewalks east of the river that explicitly accommodate outdoor dining.
🍽️ Restaurants & Bars
Full-service restaurants and brewpubs are permitted in D-D, B-1, B-2, B-3, MURC, S/L/E, and H-1. The D-D code explicitly encourages outdoor dining and second-story terraces. Drive-in food service requires conditional use approval almost everywhere and is prohibited in MURC. Craft breweries are conditional in nearly all business districts and permitted by right in I-2.
💼 Professional & Corporate Offices
Commercial offices fit in D-D upper floors, B-1 (not main floor), B-2, B-3, MURC upper floors, H-1, and I-1 Limited Commercial. I-1 is unique in Glenview — it's designed for administrative, research, and business uses that don't detract from the residential character of surrounding neighborhoods, making it well-suited for corporate campuses with large setbacks.
🩺 Medical, Dental & Hospital
H-1 Hospital and Medical District is reserved for hospitals and trauma centers (15-acre minimum lot — effectively the Glenbrook Hospital campus). Medical and dental offices are permitted in D-D upper floors, B-1 (not main floor), B-2, B-3, MURC, H-1, I-1, and I-2. Urgent and immediate care clinics are permitted in B-2, B-3, H-1, and I-1. Medical/research labs work across B-1 (not main floor), B-2, B-3, H-1, and I-1.
🏋️ Fitness Studios & Athletic Training
Glenview splits fitness uses by size: under 3,800 SF permitted in D-D, B-2, B-3, S/L/E, and I-1 (conditional in B-1 main floor); over 3,800 SF permitted in D-D, B-2, B-3, S/L/E, and I-1. Outdoor athletic training is conditional in B-2, B-3, and I-1. Boutique studios (yoga, Pilates, martial arts) work especially well in the walkable D-D and MURC pedestrian environments.
🎭 Sports, Entertainment & Cultural Venues
S/L/E Sports/Leisure/Entertainment is uniquely Glenview — designed for The Glen and other large-scale recreation venues, allowing buildings up to 55 feet tall and individual uses up to 7,000 seats. Permits sports complexes, ice centers, indoor/outdoor athletic facilities, theaters, museums, equestrian centers, and bowling alleys. MURC allows similar but smaller-scale uses (capped at 2,500 seats per use). Theaters and auditoriums for performing arts are also permitted in D-D, B-2, B-3, MURC, and conditional in B-1 main floor.
🏗️ The Glen Mixed-Use Development
MURC Mixed Use Retail Center is the master-planned town center zoning at The Glen — allows residential dwelling units above ground floor at 36 units per acre (24 du/acre within 200 feet of district perimeter), with 45-foot/3-story height max, 5-foot front setback, and required ground-floor active uses. Half of ground-floor commercial frontage must be entrances and storefront windows. S/L/E handles the larger entertainment and recreation anchors. Together they create the only true master-planned commercial district in Lake/Cook County's North Shore.
🏨 Hotels & Extended Stay
Hotels are conditional uses in nearly every business district: D-D, B-1, B-2, B-3, MURC, S/L/E, and I-1. Extended-stay hotels carry additional restrictions: no more than 10% of units occupied for 180+ days, no conversion to apartments, 300-foot buffer from residential property, and density capped at one room per 1,000 SF of lot area. Pet runs required if pets allowed. Best fit for limited-service lodging along Waukegan Road or near Glenbrook Hospital.
🚗 Auto Sales, Service & Fueling
Automotive fuel stations are conditional in B-2, permitted in B-3, conditional in I-1 and I-2. Auto repair is conditional in B-2, permitted in B-3, conditional in I-1, permitted in I-2. Auto sales/rental dealerships are conditional in B-2 and B-3, conditional in I-1 and I-2. Online-only auto sales (no physical inventory display) are permitted by right in I-2. Glenview's detailed dealership standards (Sec. 98-187) cover landscaping ratios, signage limits, lighting foot-candles, and noise — important to budget for during site planning.
💇 Personal Services & Salons
Health and beauty personal services (salons, barbershops, nail salons, spas) are permitted in D-D, B-1, B-2, B-3, and MURC. Spas and wellness centers permitted in D-D, B-1, B-2, MURC, and S/L/E. Permanent cosmetics, microblading, and micropigmentation are conditional in D-D upper floors, B-1, B-2, B-3, MURC, H-1, I-1, and I-2 — Glenview regulates these separately from standard personal care. Massage therapy permitted across D-D, B-1, B-2, B-3, and MURC.
🔧 Trades, Contractors & Wholesale
HVAC, machine shops, building/construction material sales, equipment rental, exterminating services, and wholesale operations are permitted in I-1 Limited Commercial and I-2 Light Industrial. I-1 has very restrictive setbacks (50ft front, 25ft side minimum on smaller lots; 100ft front on 10+ acre lots) and lot coverage capped at 33⅓%. I-2 allows 60% lot coverage, more typical industrial operations. All operations and storage must be inside buildings except limited outdoor storage in side/rear yards with screening.
🏭 Light Industrial, Manufacturing & Distribution
I-2 Light Industrial is the primary industrial district. Glenview has a unique split for manufacturing, freight logistics, beverage distribution, and warehousing: parcels not bordering residential or directly abutting I-294 get permitted-by-right status; parcels bordering residential with up to four loading berths are permitted; parcels with five or more loading berths bordering residential require conditional use approval. Data centers are permitted in I-2. The 60% lot coverage cap and 35-foot height limit (taller with setback) apply throughout.
Glenview's zoning sophistication — from form-based downtown code to The Glen's MURC/S/L/E districts to the I-294 corridor industrial split — means picking the right district is more consequential here than in most North Shore suburbs. Let's talk about your property — or use the Commercial Zoning Lookup to check any Glenview address directly against the village code.