Many studies have shown that single-family zoning makes housing more expensive for everyone. Here’s one example, which found that relaxing density restrictions “is the most fruitful policy reform for increasing the housing supply and reducing multifamily rents and single-family-house prices.” (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4241563) While we can pull examples of specific homes that have been replaced by more expensive homes, overall up-zoning is a free and effective way to reduce housing costs and allow more people to live in our great little village.
Originally, single-family zoning was mostly implemented to maintain racial segregation and continues to perform that function. (https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28351/w28351.pdf) This makes sense: single-family zoning makes it so that only the wealthiest people can afford to live here, and in our society, those are disproportionately white.
The typical home price in Oak Park has risen from about $350K to about $470K over the last six years. I support subsidized housing development and even sit on the Housing Programs Advisory Board. But just building subsidized housing isn’t enough and isn’t going to have enough of an effect on overall housing costs. We’re a desirable community and it makes sense to build more homes here so more people can live here.
Lastly, a four-plex — or a six-plex like where I live (and which is the only reason I can afford to live in the village) — is not disruptive to the neighborhood. These are gently dense developments that often look similar to the neighborhood around them.
These developments already stud Oak Park because they were built before single-family zoning was implemented. You probably don’t notice most of them.
Ending single-family zoning isn’t some moonshot policy: it’s a return to the development pattern that was present when most of the village was built. It is only in the years since that zoning laws were implemented to reduce the amount of housing that can be built, promote segregation, and raise housing prices by keeping supply artificially low.
Blaise Denton
Oak Park