Abundant Housing Illinois
@abundanthousingil.bsky.social
We advocate for housing abundance and sustainable, inclusive cities in Illinois. 🏙️ https://abundanthousingillinois.org
I'm glad Crain's published this op-ed about four uninspired and backwards proposals for underused land near nodes in Chicago's transit network. By @abundanthousingil.bsky.social members and others. 🎁 www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/comm...
There's a new 8 flat going up next to my condo, and the building permit took 396 days to be approved. If you are wondering why there is a housing shortage...
Tonight, I will be joining for a national town hall on ending the housing crisis hosted by Cambridge Vice Mayor @burhanazeem.bsky.social. See you there? voteburhan.com/housing/
"The two-story house built through Evanston Township High School’s “Geometry in Construction” course rolled from ETHS to Darrow Avenue. Workers loaded the home onto a truck during the morning and traveled around a mile to 2120 Darrow Ave. The house marks the 11th built by students."
ETHS 'Geometry in Construction' house moves to its permanent home on Darrow Avenue - Evanston RoundTable
It’s not every day you see a high school elective concluding with a student-built house. But that was the case Monday when the two-story house built
evanstonroundtable.com
"Agents said they don’t see the bidding wars ending soon, as the lack of new inventory remains an issue." www.wbez.org/housing/2026...
Abundant Housing Illinois@abundanthousingil.bsky.social · yesterday"Some agents are even encouraging clients to shop for homes in a lower price range so they can bid significantly more than than its list price. Buyers will also offer to pay in cash, waive inspections or cover the property’s appraisal gap, if applicable, according to McKenna."
'The number of homes for sale hit a historic low in June. There were 1,373 single-family and 2,121 attached properties on the market — the lowest figures the on record since 2008, the start of its available data. That’s less than two months of supply.' www.wbez.org/housing/2026...
Got cash? With few properties on sale, Chicago homebuyers are having bidding wars
The battle among buyers has been great for home sellers as properties sell for up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over their asking price.
wbez.org
A fond goodbye to my Avondale apartment, which breaks every part of its RS-3 zoning and could never be built today ❌ 12 units (2 unit max) ❌ 40 ft tall (30 ft max) ❌ 260 sq ft lot area/unit (2,500 min) ❌ 0 ft rear setback (35 ft min) And way above the 0.9 floor-area ratio cap
Initial plans for 515 Park Dr received pushback from neighbors, primarily because of a 4-story height at 50ft. Revisions removed retail space for 40ft, then to 3 stories at 35ft. But Village trustees on June 15 said an approval would require a retail component. A demolition permit remains active.
Park Place off the table in Kenilworth - The Record
The developer of a polarizing proposal in Kenilworth has withdrawn the application, according to the Village. Park Place — a luxury residential development planned for 515-519 Park Drive that received...
therecordnorthshore.org
IT’S OFFICIAL! House Bill 3564 is set to become law on January 1st, 2027! HB3564 establishes a $50 cap for rental application fees, bans 11 types of junk fees, caps move-in fees at 20% of rent, and requires move-in fees to be itemized, among more protections for renters. (1/2)
The good folks at @metroplanning.bsky.social are surveying the current state and need for family-friendly housing options in Chicago! forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon...
Microsoft Forms
forms.cloud.microsoft
'A preliminary proposal would redevelop Meadow Plaza Shopping Center into three six-story condominiums with 150 residences, two commercial parcels and a public riverwalk, according to the village website. Northbrook residents again flooded a Village Board meeting to express opposition.'
Northbrook residents continue speaking out against razing shopping plaza to build condos
Northbrook residents continue speaking out to the Village Board against razing Meadow Plaza to build 150 condos near downtown.
chicagotribune.com
If you loved last year's Housing-a-Thon as much as we did, you're gonna wanna grab your free ticket ASAP! On Aug. 11, we’re teaming up with @strongtownschicago.bsky.social, @abundanthousingil.bsky.social & @hsrail.bsky.social to tackle transit issues in Chicago. www.eventbrite.com/e/transit-a-...
eventbrite.com
Noodling with permit data: It appears that the 2019 building code change to allow three-story buildings to be built with wood coincided with a threefold increase in the proportion of three-flats built on the South and West Sides
"In a marathon of a meeting that lasted past 1 a.m. Wednesday, Oak Park’s village board unanimously referred a consultant’s proposal on zoning changes to the Plan Commission to continue the conversation over coming months."
Oak Park moves forward with single-family zoning discussion - Wednesday Journal
In a marathon of a meeting that lasted past 1 a.m. Wednesday, Oak Park’s village board unanimously referred a consultant’s proposal on zoning changes to the Plan Commission to continue the conversatio...
oakpark.com
Is Chicago a "family-friendly?" city? Help @metroplanning.bsky.social answer this question tomorrow, 7/30, at their open-house taking place at the Logan Square Library from 2-5:30 PM. $30 giftcards for the first 30 families & school-age children will receive a choice of school supplies!
here’s a really long discussion in which I try to explain city code jargon like dual stair mandate and binding constraints
Single Stair Hearing Recap with Steven Vance
YouTube video by Strong Towns Chicago
youtu.be
Join us Aug. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. alongside Strong Towns Chicago, CNU Chicago, and Abundant Housing Illinois at DePaul University’s Loop campus for an evening of energizing small-group discussions covering a variety of transit topics. Reserve a spot today!
Transit-a-Thon | High Speed Rail Alliance
Join us and Strong Towns Chicago, Congress for the New Urbanism Chicago, and Abundant Housing Illinois for energizing transit discussions.
hsrail.org
We figured out a way to [reduce housing costs] by multiplexing the [single-family homes].
Random Trek@randomtrek.bsky.social · last wk.Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) Season 5, Episode 6: The Game Originally aired: 10/28/1991, Syndication 00:06:34.565
Demolition is under way at 1016 W. Jackson Blvd, where a 25-story building is planned, with 380 apartments, including 76 designated affordable under the city formula, and a street-level Aldi. @abundanthousingil.bsky.social
Illinois recently passed its first major home rule preemption for residential properties. It allows native species to be planted by right. Now that they've done it for plants, we need the general assembly to do the same for people. Allow them to have a place to live! ilhoalaw.com/2024/08/07/t...
The Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act: What Illinois Community Associations Need to Do to Comply with the New Landscaping Law - The Illinois Condo and HOA Law Blog
The Illinois Homeowners’ Native Landscaping Act, 765 ILCS 167/1, et seq., which became effective on July 19, 2024, regulates the ability of Illinois community associations to prohibit certain types of...
ilhoalaw.com
After your day at the concreach (concrete beach) on Sunday head inside to the final “Steps to Better Housing” comedy show about #SingleStair Then there’s still time to hop on the Red Line from Second City to Half Sour for our July #happyhour
Hey all! I just posted a piece on the Pro-Housing Lab Chicago that took place yesterday! It was such a blast hearing from, and connecting with so many like-minded folk. Thanks @abundanthousingil.bsky.social & @yimbyaction.bsky.social #YIMBY
Housing Stock Gone Haywire: Who's Here to Help?
A recap of the recent Pro-Housing Lab Chicago and a brief on the state of the housing shortage.
open.substack.com
Missed the Governor, but loved seeing @drakefor10.bsky.social and other pro-City of Chicago, friends at @yimbyaction.bsky.social last night
Thank you Gov. Pritzker for pushing for more homes across Illinois, and for stopping by our advocacy conference today #PeopeOverParking
📄 New report: Illinois' Housing Wage is now more than $30/hr. Our new Out of Reach report with @nlihc.org shows the ever-widening gap between what people earn and what rent costs across the state: bit.ly/2026OORIL
Thank you to the dozens of neighbors who came out tonight to the Belmont Blue Line ETOD meeting tonight. I am excited for us to create a plan that will develop more affordable & accessible housing options, increase safety for pedestrians, cyclists, & transit riders, & support local businesses.
"While 67% of Oak Park 1 or 2-person households, 41% of our housing units are single family homes. Many of these homeowners are seniors who would like to age in place, but in a more manageable home. The problem is, there are very few housing options for them to downsize into."
Derek Eder@derekeder.com · 2w agoOak Park will have a vote on 7/28 to eliminate single family zoning. As I've done with other big issues, I've researched the topic thoroughly and done my best to explain it and my position: I'm in favor, as long as we also update our inclusionary housing ordinance. derekeder.com/blog/afforda...