Bill promotes density, not affordability

The BUILD Act, HB 5626, now before the Illinois General Assembly, would override the zoning authority of every Illinois municipality, including Naperville. As I read it, the proposal would require every city to allow six- and eight-unit buildings on lots currently zoned for single-family homes, by right.

That means no public hearing, no council vote and no formal opportunity for the neighbors next door to weigh in.

Our average residential lot in Naperville is about a quarter of an acre. Under this proposal, when a home on your street sells, a developer could tear it down and put up as many as eight market-rate units in its place.

I’m not against housing, and the conversation about affordability is one worth having. My concern is that the bill as written mandates density. It does not address affordability.

Last fall, the General Assembly already eliminated parking minimums near our train stations. Every community built around a Metra line is in the same position as Naperville.

Adding density on top of that, without addressing parking, will be felt on the residential streets in perpetuity. The bill does include some infrastructure money, but from what I’ve reviewed, not nearly enough to cover the real impact on our roads, our schools, and our utility systems. Those costs would fall to local taxpayers.

Naperville’s character wasn’t built by accident, it was built through careful planning and through residents who showed up and stayed involved. That process matters, and these decisions should not be set aside by Springfield.

Read the bill for yourself and then walk into your yard and imagine six- or eight-unit buildings going up on the lots around you.

If you don’t want that future, contact your State Representative and Senator today and tell them where you stand.

Scott Wehrli, Mayor

Naperville