DuPage Co. scraps "work force" housing proposal

Under fire from residents for being secretive about a plan to encourage developers to build homes for the county's "work force," the proposal was abruptly scrapped Tuesday.

The proposal essentially would have allowed developers to build houses more densely in certain zoning classifications within the county. Officials said the impact would be minimal. For example, instead of 30 units on a parcel, the policy would allow 36 units, they said.

However, concerns from residents who live near some of those spots prompted county board members to rethink the policy.

The matter has been under study for two years, though, and it was intended to promote homeownership among people who work in DuPage but can't afford to buy here.

Development committee Chairwoman Kyle Gilgis said the proposal will be tabled indefinitely at a special committee meeting next Tuesday, and then it will be sent to the board's intergovernmental committee for any future discussion. However, the intergovernmental committee does not currently have regularly scheduled meetings and Gilgis said there's no timetable for the issue to be addressed. Gilgis said the policy should have the intergovernmental committee's input because its impact doesn't affect only the county's resources.

The development committee was originally scheduled to vote on the policy in two weeks.

While county officials said the "work force housing" policy would simply shorten the process for developers seeking lot-size variances for new homes, many residents believed the proposal would create competing housing stock in an already deflated real estate market.

About 20 residents who attended Tuesday's development committee meeting also complained that county officials didn't notify them of the proposed policy, but Gilgis said the initiative has gone through the county's regional planning commission and the county's zoning board of appeals, which reports directly to the development committee. The DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference is currently mulling it over, too.

That didn't mollify the residents.

"Our opinion is if this is so great, it should have been publicized, but this sounds pretty sneaky, and pardon me for being suspicious of sneaky politics in Illinois these days," said Jim Ruff, who lives in an unincorporated area between West Chicago and Wayne.

There were also many misconceptions about the policy. Many residents complained that the county was making it easier for developers to build apartment complexes for low-income families in single-family neighborhoods.

"Work force housing is intended to build new homes that people who work in DuPage can buy," Gilgis said. "No one's building rental units."

The hope was the policy would create new homes that would reduce wear on county roads and cut commute times for workers. Buyers were to be screened by the DuPage Housing Authority to ensure they qualified, but there were no requirements that they remain employed in DuPage County if they bought a work force house.