McHenry County moves to create more affordable housing

Last year, McHenry County leaders received a stunning report on the lack of affordable housing within their communities.

On Tuesday, they moved a step closer to doing something about it.

County board members placed an ordinance creating the McHenry County Housing Commission under a required 30-day review, setting up a vote to authorize the panel in early 2010.

Envisioned as an advisory board with members from both the public and private sectors, the commission will help developers plan and build more affordable homes and rental units in the county.

"Having this commission is a great thing for McHenry County," County Board Chairman Ken Koehler said. "I can see a lot of advantages having this commission in place."

County leaders began work on the housing commission in response to rising foreclosures and a report by local social service agencies detailing the county's affordable housing situation.

The report showed that one in three McHenry County homeowners, and more than half the county's renters, are living in homes they cannot reasonably afford.

To afford the average rental unit, a person would have to make $17.62 an hour, said Mary Lu Seidel, executive director of the Corporation for Affordable Homes of McHenry County. A person making minimum wage would have to work 88 hours a week to afford the median $916 monthly rent.

"The study shows a significant gap in housing and this is how we can go about addressing it," Seidel said.

Board member Barbara Wheeler said one of the commission's purposes should be to find and provide incentives to developers willing to build affordable housing in the county.

"I can't stress the importance of giving people incentives rather than taxing them to death," she said.

Koehler said there has been talk of a county housing commission as far back as the early 1990s, but it usually met with resistance. He and Wheeler believe today's housing and economic situation leave no doubt of its need.

"We need to provide quality housing opportunities for everyone, including those with lower incomes," Wheeler said. "Our attitudes (toward affordable housing) need to change."