St. Charles OKs housing law

The St. Charles city council this week passed a new law aimed at making the city a less-expensive place to live.

The ordinance essentially requires developers to make various percentages of their building projects "affordable," or pay fees to an affordable housing trust fund operated by the city.

The law had been in the works for more than two years when it was approved unanimously Monday.

"It is not a cause celeb; it is not politically correct," Mayor Don DeWitte said. "It is the right thing to do in our community."

Over the last eight years, St. Charles home prices rose at more than double the rate of household incomes. The median home price currently hovers around $305,000 while the median household income is about $80,000.

In 2006, the city formed a housing commission and began consulting with homebuilders to address that growing divide, as well as to keep St. Charles in line with recent state legislation that requires municipalities to maintain 10 percent of so-called affordable housing.

While aldermen believe the new "inclusionary housing" ordinance will do the trick, they continue to struggle with shedding the notion that "affordable" means "low-income" housing. The city's definition of affordable varies based on the size and income of individual households.

"Everything is relative, but believe me, the cost of this housing would not be considered 'low-income' by most," said 2nd Ward Alderman Betsy Penny, who helped create the ordinance.

"Rather, it is housing for those on fixed incomes, entry level teachers, firefighters, police and our children when they are entering the workforce," she said.

Metropolitan Planning Council representatives Joanna Trotter and Robin Snyderman told the city in a statement that St. Charles should be proud to join a growing number of communities, including Lake Forest and Highland Park, in tackling affordable housing.

"This important step will pave the way for new programs in St. Charles that address the specific needs of your community as the housing market changes," the statement said in part.

Money paid to the trust fund will fuel new affordable housing programs, such as grants for weatherizing or repairing existing units.

But DeWitte said he wouldn't be surprised if a few changes are in store.

"If we find we've made mistakes in this process, we will correct them as we go along," he said.