Daily Herald opinion: ‘11th hour surprise’: Land use provision in transit bill needs more study and suburban input
A provision buried in a transit rescue bill, which was approved in the Illinois Senate but not yet in the House, has caught the attention of suburban leaders — and not in a good way.
Libertyville Mayor Donna Johnson calls it “catastrophic.”
Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig describes the impact as “devastating” and “unprecedented.”
And Cary Mayor Mark Kownick worries about communities losing local control.
As our Marni Pyke reported in her column Monday, the anger and concern stem from a provision buried in House Bill 3438. The legislation aims to create a new Northern Illinois Transit Authority that would oversee Metra, Pace and the CTA, and help address an anticipated $771 million budget shortfall.
The controversial provision would give the NITA “power to acquire by purchase (and) condemnation” any land within half a mile of a train or bus station to pave the way for more transit-supportive development.
That, suburban leaders insist, must not happen.
“We as mayors take our roles and our communities very seriously,” Kownick said. “We would hate for some board that is made up of appointed people to come in and say … ‘We want to take this building out and add more housing there.’”
Advocates of the bill say it would not diminish local authority. But Craig — a transit supporter and an 11-year veteran of the Metra board — believes strongly that authority over “prime property” should not be handed over to a transit agency. If that were to happen, he says, it would leave communities vulnerable to the loss of tax dollars and control.
If the transit agency’s plan clashed with a town’s needs or vision, or would add students to local schools without input and evaluation, villages wanting to fight back would be forced to embark on an expensive and potentially lengthy legal battle.
It’s hardly the only unpopular or concerning element about the bill, which includes extending a Chicago real estate transfer tax to the suburbs and adding a statewide tax on most online deliveries.
Craig points out that he attended hearings about transit reform yet never heard a word about adding a land use component. He calls the addition an “11th hour surprise”: Senators passed the bill late on May 31, the final day of session. It did not come to a vote in the House, but the fall veto session could change that.
In the coming months, suburban leaders must have a chance to study the bill more thoroughly, weigh in with concerns and offer alternative solutions for addressing the region’s transit needs. Anything less would be a slap at the suburbs and one more blow to transparency from a General Assembly that too often rams legislation through in the waning hours of the session.
The Metropolitan Mayor’s Caucus has called for a “seat at the table” before the bill comes before the House.
They deserve that. Local state reps should support those efforts — or explain to voters why they haven’t.