Naperville council considers 8 ideas for increasing affordable housing
Presented with a list of recommendations aimed at increasing Naperville's affordable housing stock, city council members said no idea is off the table as they work toward what has been a long-standing community goal.
But they stressed a desire to move cautiously, tackling the proposed initiatives in phases and conducting more research on those that could have budgetary constraints or unintended consequences.
"I'd certainly like to see us begin this process in some way," Mayor Steve Chirico said during Tuesday's city council workshop. "There's a ton here to think about, and I feel like we do need to get (additional) information."
The eight action items, recommended by the housing advisory commission, derive from a consultant's report completed in March that evaluates Naperville's housing stock and identifies strategies for addressing unmet needs at a range of price points.
The ideas are designed not only to help the city meet a state mandate on affordable housing, but also to better serve seniors, young professionals, individuals with special needs and others who can't afford many of the available homes in Naperville, said Fran Lefor Rood, senior vice president at SB Friedman.
"The intent is showing what the mismatch is between your residents and potential residents and the current housing stock," she said. "That really leads to these potential strategies, which are aimed at creating new affordable units and also making sure that you're preserving existing affordable units."
Council members reached a consensus on three ideas they believe could be implemented quickly: developing working relationships with affordable housing developers, a strategy to leverage publicly owned land to address housing challenges, and a specific plan to preserve "Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing."
At an estimated 7.5%, Naperville falls sort of a state requirement that 10% of a municipality's housing stock qualify as affordable, according to city documents. The SB Friedman report found the median home value in the city is $399,000, and the median monthly rent is $1,415.
Bridging the city's affordable housing gap has been deemed a priority for years by elected officials and community members, some of whom urged the council Tuesday to adopt the commission's recommendations and start taking steps forward.
"It is up to local government officials to ensure they implement programs such as affordable and accessible housing that will serve to create an inclusive, diverse and sustainable Naperville," Gary Smith, co-chairman of the accessible community task force, said in written comments.
More controversial items on the list included the creation of a housing-specific staff position and the implementation of an inclusionary zoning ordinance - a policy that would link the creation of affordable units to new market-rate residential construction.
The latter would require "extensive research" to develop a model suitable for Naperville's housing market, city documents show.
Other recommendations include establishing a rehabilitation loan fund to help low-income senior homeowners make repairs; establishing a housing trust fund to help veterans, seniors, first responders and others purchase a home; and establishing additional resources to assist populations with special housing needs.
Staff members are expected to compare notes from Tuesday's workshop and bring back the "low-hanging fruit" to the city council for consideration, City Manager Doug Krieger said. For the recommendations that are more complex or long-term, he said, officials plan to assess their feasibility and create a rough timeline for moving those items forward in phases.
Taking any action before talking with developers and stakeholders would be putting "the cart a little bit in front of the horse," Chirico said. "That's got to be part of this decision-making process."