Like so many of our neighbors, we were drawn to Oak Park for its identity as a diverse, inclusive community. But despite the proud legacy of progressive housing policies that helped build that reputation, today we face an alarming decline in our Black population, due in large part to the lack of affordable housing in the village.
Oak Park has made some progress in recent years with policies and programs that have supported affordable developments. Still, disturbing challenges remain: 40% of renter households and ⅓ of homeowner households of older residents over 65 are “housing cost burdened,” paying more than 30% of their monthly income on housing.
To address this problem, the village of Oak Park commissioned an independent study from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) that produced the Strategic Vision for Housing report in 2024 with nine recommended strategies. Their recommendation to update Oak Park’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) is one we are particularly eager to see advanced as a tool that can help meet the village’s goal of expanding its affordable housing stock.
Luckily, the village board and staff at village hall agree that updating the IHO is an important part of responding to the affordability crisis in Oak Park. They have gathered input from local and regional experts on best practices around inclusionary housing, examined research that supports effective affordable housing legislation, and are committed to following the Government Alliance for Racial Equity guidelines for assessing housing policies on their equity impact. And work to update the village’s zoning code is currently underway. We are encouraged to see this range of strategies employed to make our community more affordable and accessible.
It is imperative, however, that the village prioritize strengthening the IHO. The MMC report is clear that doing so will fulfill the ordinance’s original intent to “provide opportunity within the village for affordable housing … to ensure that an adequate stock of affordable housing is and remains available in the village.” Since its passing in 2019, Oak Park’s IHO has not produced any affordable housing units in the village. As the village board prepares to consider another luxury apartment development, and with sights on future development of the Mohr property, it is urgent that the board prioritize updating the IHO.
Affordable housing is widely popular in Oak Park because more affordable housing options are essential to achieving the village of Oak Park’s mission and vision for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. We are excited about the growing number of local advocates joining our call to push the village of Oak Park to strengthen its IHO. We invite you to join and connect with us by reaching out at: op4affordablehousing@gmail.com.
George Bailey, Alicia Chastain, Rohini D’Silva, John Duffy, Henry Fulkerson, Ryan O’Malley
Oak Parkers for Affordable Housing – Steering Committee
