Daily Herald opinion: Happy to see at least some affordable housing in dramatic new proposals

We're noticing a bunch of dramatic new multifamily housing proposals in some well-known spots in the suburbs this year. We're impressed with much of it and especially pleased to see that at least a little of the planned housing is affordable housing.

This month the Barrington Plan Commission heard and supported a proposal for a new mixed-use development that includes luxury apartments and storage for high-end and classic cars in the village's "Golden Triangle," replacing the former Market Center building and a former Volvo dealership. The CEO of the development company said the project will include "an integrated lobby, just like a boutique hotel." Barrington has been looking to redevelop the site since the 1990s.

Head south down Barrington Road to Hoffman Estates, where the village has seen a wave of proposals that could bring as many as 2,700 multifamily housing units. That includes the 296-unit Seasons at Hoffman Estates apartment complex at the southeast corner of Higgins Road and Moon Lake Boulevard, now being built; 164 high-end townhouses approved as part of larger housing plans at Bell Works, on the former AT&T campus, with 300 apartments given preliminary approval; and 600 luxury apartments proposed for the long-vacant former Menards site in Barrington Square.

While affordable housing isn't a feature in the Barrington or Hoffman Estates developments - though the $1,700 to $2,500 a month rents included in the Barrington Square plan at least are closer to average - it is a feature elsewhere.

Meanwhile, to the northeast in Libertyville, the village board has approved the 34-unit Eve. B. Lee Place, proposed by the Community Partners for Affordable Housing, to replace a long-vacant building at 500 Peterson Road. The plan serves a goal to provide affordable housing (they call it "attainable") for seniors and empty-nesters. Mostly one-bedroom units with rents in the range of $1,050 to $1,250 per month, including utilities, are planned.

And in Naperville, the city council approved an agreement to sell nearly 5 acres of city land that will be used to build affordable housing at 103rd Street and Route 59 on Tower Court. The developer will build a 71-unit facility with a tenant mix of 75% seniors and 25% people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

All the proposals listed here are exciting to see, as they would liven up some parts of the community that can use it. But we are especially happy to see the Libertyville and Naperville proposals designed entirely with affordable housing in mind - and one even addressing people with special needs. We noted last fall that more people running for office, particularly county offices at the time, were mentioning the need for affordable housing, and we were happy to hear it. And housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is something that's still far inadequate in the suburbs and this state.

Small as they may be compared to the others, the Libertyville and Naperville proposals show some of the progress toward affordable housing we've longed for.