Abundant Housing Illinois

On Wednesday, December 17, Abundant Housing Illinois celebrated our collective wins in 2025 with our partner organizations. In front of a sold out crowd of 150 people, Robert Spragg summarized our successes in Chicago and in Springfield.

Special thanks go to Audrey Wennink (Senior Director, Transportation, at Metropolitan Planning Council) for her speech about the NITA transit bill, Josh Chodor for organizing the event, and Viktor Köves for photography.

2025 Wins: Local + State Policy Breakthroughs

Chicago Housing Policy Wins

• Permanent ADU ordinance passed
• ADU opt-in expansion passed
• Upzonings with strong community backing: Howard St and Broadway

State-Level Victories

• Northern Illinois Transit Authority (revenues and reform for transit)
• The NITA bill includes People Over Parking Act

Support from Statewide Coalitions

• American Planning Association – Illinois Chapter
• Illinois Homes for All Coalition
• Metropolitan Planning Council
• Lobby day advocacy made a decisive impact

2025 Wins: Neighborhood Organizing

Showing up to meetings & hearings

• Old Town Canvas
• 1840 N Marcey St
• Ford City redevelopment
• Broadway Corridor upzoning
• 3819 N Kedzie Ave

4 new neighborhood groups spun off

• Neighbors of Edgewater and Uptown
• North West Neighbors Alliance
• Lakeview Urbanists
• Neighbors of Lincoln Park and Old Town

Neighborhood-level organizing wins:

• Joseph made a TikTok video about a neighborhood organization's opposition to new housing, which went locally viral and caused more people to attend the upcoming meeting and flipped the organization from likely opposing the project to supporting the project
• “People Over Parking” reforms

Member Power: Turnout, Testimony & Grassroots Leadership

Member Turnout that Moved Policy