Some suburban mayors push back on Pritzker's affordable housing initiative

VILLA PARK, Ill. -- There is growing opposition to one of the signature pieces of legislation that Gov. JB Pritzker is pushing for this year.

The Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD, initiative would impact how, what and where housing could be built in Illinois.

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The debate is hitting home with some suburban leaders.

The underlying goal of the bill may be to increase the supply of housing in Illinois. But a group of suburban mayors and village presidents say the governor is trying to address the housing shortage in the wrong way.

In Villa Park, construction is underway on a new apartment complex to help address the growing need for housing in this community.

And it's that local decision-making ability that a group of suburban leaders wants to preserve.

On Friday, they stood together to opposes the governor's BUILD initiative, contending it replaces local zoning control with a one-size-fits-all state mandate for housing.

"Local decision making allows communities to adapt solutions that fit their residents' needs and protect long-term stability," Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess said.

They commissioned a poll they say shows 70 percent of residents oppose the bill.

"Residents express concerns about state control over local zoning, and voters rejected policies that would increase density and permanently alter our neighborhoods. These results should matter to every legislator considering this bill," Roselle Mayor David Pileski said.

Two DePaul University professors penned an editorial about the housing plan, raising concerns that there is no language in the bill stipulating new housing must be affordable.

"Slow down and allow local people, local zoning advisory boards and organizations to intervene in the process to make sure that some of these units built are affordable," said Jesse Mumm, a DePaul University lecturer and cultural anthropologist.

The governor has repeatedly touted the housing bill, including last month before a realtors convention.

"Don't let anyone tell you that this is some kind of radical removal of of local zoning; that is not what this is. It is literally about just adding a few more homes everywhere in the state," Pritzker said.

The Oak Park village president says something has to change to address what she called the current housing crisis.

"I believe that the governor's bill is a strategic approach to addressing the barriers to building and how status quo just has not served us to increase that development," Vicki Scaman said.

While the governor continues to tell the importance of the bill, opponents are hoping to build enough support to defeat it.

The legislative session ends May 31.