Pritzker's Office Shoots Down Municipal Home Building Proposal
Gov. JB Pritzker speaks to the Illinois REALTORS Association in Springfield last month. (Photo: Governor’s Office)
As Mayors across the state have expressed concern and frustration over Governor JB Pritzker’s “BUILD Illinois” homebuilding and zoning plan as an attack on local zoning rights, the Pritzker administration has poured cold water on an alternative proposal introduced by the Illinois Municipal League.
Pritzker’s BUILD plan would attempt to normalize fees paid by builders across regions in the state, introduce a down payment assistance program, increase the speed of permit reviews and inspections, and allow people to build “secondary dwelling units,” like mother-in-law additions as long as they’re up to local code.
But many mayors and IML have balked at provisions of the plan, most notably establishing statewide zoning and rules on minimum lot sizes, residential density allowances, and limitations on local parking requirements.
IML CEO Brad Cole told me on the radio yesterday the Governor’s proposal takes away the rights of municipalities.
“It preempts local authority and it takes away a number of decisions from elected local officials, city council members, village trustees, with regard to the basics around zoning,” Cole said. “I don’t know any mayor that doesn’t want more people to move to his or her community, but we don’t think preempting zoning is the way to do it. And we we definitely don’t think it really addresses affordability.”
IML has introduced its own response to the Governor’s plan, the Reducing Expenses and Advancing Local (REAL) Housing Act. The legislation would provide municipal opt-ins for zoning changes like mother-in-law dwellings and other “middle housing” with incentives for municipalities that do say yes. It also includes permitting reform, a sales tax holiday on building materials for construction projects, and would include more funding for local governments from the state to provide property tax relief.
In a statement to The Illinoize Tuesday, the Governor’s office shot down the plan.
“A coordinated, statewide approach is necessary to solve the housing affordability crisis. The current status quo has only deepened the housing shortage, so the time for action is now,” a Pritzker spokesperson said. “BUILD doesn’t eliminate local control, it establishes minimum expectations and sets the floor in a coordinated way to meet every locality’s housing needs, all while ensuring the enhancement and preservation of each town’s character. Governor Pritzker’s BUILD plan comprehensively addresses Illinois’ housing affordability crisis by removing unnecessary barriers to development and creating clear, pathways for the construction of accessible, affordable homes.”
Cole said the Pritzker administration has not included local leaders in any discussions about the legislation and we’re told by sources Mayors have been calling lawmakers “left and right” to express concerns about the Governor’s bill, which has essentially slowed it during the legislative session.
Pritzker does have an ally in support of his plan and opponent of the IML plan in the Illinois REALTORS. REALTORS CEO Jeff Baker told Capitol News Illinois earlier this month the the IML plan was a “wish-list of anti-real estate measures.”
“This proposal isn’t just misguided, it’s dangerous,” Baker told CNI. “It raises serious legal questions, proposes outright price fixing, and undermines the very goal of making housing more accessible. At the worst possible moment, IML is throwing a wrench into efforts that are actually moving Illinois forward.”
Sources say the Governor’s office is still pushing legislative leaders to pass the BUILD plan before the May 31 deadline.
