Abundant Housing Illinois

Link to full article on The Chicago Sun Times

Ald. Brian Hopkins recently announced a “compromise” development for 349 new homes in Old Town, following his rejection of an earlier proposal with 500 units. I strongly support the development, but the loss of 151 units and the exhausting process it took to get here encapsulate why Chicago is facing a crisis of housing affordability.

Hopkins’s approval comes only after more than three years of negotiations, traffic studies, and community meetings. Why? Put simply, a vocal group of largely wealthy homeowners argued that this building was “out of character” with the surrounding neighborhood, including the many adjacent and similarly sized towers. Hopkins held out his support while negotiations proceeded. But even though these groups received significant concessions toward their stated goals, including a shorter building, fewer overall units, and a higher share of larger units, they remainimplacably opposed.

It does not have to be this way. Elsewhere in Hopkins’s 2nd Ward, a 396-unit tower in Lincoln Park recently went from proposal to City Council approval in less than a year.

Unfortunately, many of our city’s housing decisions mirror the former pattern. By favoring smaller developments, fewer homes, and fewer new neighbors, we are limiting what Chicago could be. We create a future with fewer customers to support local businesses. Fewer visitors to parks and cultural institutions. Fewer riders for our public transit system. Fewer affordable housing options for low-income residents. And fewer tax dollars for public sector budgets — money that will otherwise have to come from existing taxpayers.

In this moment of tremendous concern about the intentions of the federal government, Chicago should ensure as many current and future residents as possible can benefit from the rights and protections of our city and state. By embracing the larger version of this project, and doing so sooner, we could have had 151 additional new homes. We could have had 30 more designated affordable units. And we could have sent a signal that future developments would be embraced, rather than subjected to a gauntlet of uncertain outcomes.

I hope that in future, Hopkins and the entire City Council will make it easier to build desperately needing housing. Only then can Chicago truly be a place that welcomes all who choose to call it home.