Affordable housing moves ahead in Northbrook

Northbrook Village President Sandy Frum held a novel-sized ream of printed emails to be read during the public comment portion of Tuesday's board meeting: Every one of them was about the village's proposed affordable housing ordnance. But before digging in, Frum suggested a five-minute break.

"And if I lose my voice, I'll turn them over to somebody else," she told the trustees and observers of the remote board meeting.

Possibly energized by what may stand as one of the most momentous episodes of what will be a 12-year term as president, Frum read aloud all 81 emails.

Sixty-three of them supported Northbrook adopting an affordable housing ordinance - actually a swath of five ordinances amending zoning codes or strengthening a 2010 version and a state-mandated 2005 plan - along with 16 opposed to the ordinance and two that could have been interpreted as "maybes."

"Diversity strengthens the community," one affirmative email suggested. Such a move would mean "basic human fairness" and would "attract socially conscious people," two others said.

"It brings crime and people," a dissenter stated. "No to low-income housing," another wrote.

Providing housing for essential workers was a popular theme of those in favor.

Yet others claimed a "COVID fog" prevented them from clearly hearing the board's affordable housing message and requested "more robust discussion" - though it was later noted Tuesday's was the 15th meeting held on the subject.

Finally, after 43 minutes of rapid-fire constituent opinions, Frum thanked them - and added her own.

"The issue before us is important to us and the community, and it says a lot about who we are and what we will be. I believe we all care deeply about Northbrook," she said.

"In 2005, as has been mentioned, the state of Illinois mandated that each community put forth a plan on how that community planned to reach the goal of 10 percent affordable housing. Northbrook's plan established that 10 percent figure as a goal.

"Unfortunately, since that time, there has been only one development, I think - The Lodge, a senior facility - that's been required to provide a certain number of its units as affordable housing. In that same period close to 1,500 homes have been added to that housing stock. Obviously, that plan has not achieved its goal," Frum said.

This plan, previously recommended by the Planning Commission for approval on a 7-1 vote, is modeled after the 2005 plan and one from Highland Park but mainly is the work of Tom Poupard, Northbrook's director of development and planning services.

It'll attempt to increase Northbrook's current 5.7% of affordable housing stock through a number of tools. They include an inclusionary zoning ordinance incorporating a demolition tax on smaller homes and fees in lieu of developers providing sufficient affordable housing, to be placed into a housing trust fund. Northbrook Court, trustee Kathryn Ciesla said, is contributing $750,000 toward that fund.

Larger developments would require 15% of units to be affordable housing, with an important qualification being that it would be dispersed throughout a development rather than massed together.

"This is not in any way a suggestion that the Village of Northbrook is going to start construction of public housing. It's an outmoded model of providing housing. The new approach is to provide scattered housing that allows people to really be part of the community, not just isolated in an island," Poupard said.

After each trustee provided their rationale, trustee Heather Ross, an attorney who volunteers at the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, was asked to make the omnibus motion to pass the ordinances, seconded by trustee Muriel Collison. It drew 7-0 approval including a rare, non-tiebreaking vote by Frum, for 22 years a trustee before becoming president.

"What I do want to say to all of you is that having a goal of 10 percent affordable housing in Northbrook, and perhaps someday achieving that goal, is something that I've believed in for all the years I've been on the Village Board," Frum said. "I'm pleased that this board is tackling this issue and is ready to move ahead."