I am bothered that some people have equated opposition to eliminating single-family housing to racism. If I were to use a single word to describe this complex issue it would not be race. It would be density.
If you don’t believe that, think back to the vivid opposition to the high-rise buildings that were built in Downtown Oak Park a few years ago. No one thought it would bring in low income minorities. That wasn’t the issue. They were objecting to the greater density.
I view increased density as a negative, with its impact on traffic, schools, etc. One speaker at the board meeting said that if people want an area with single-family homes, there are plenty of suburbs with them. I have no desire to move. I did not want to move to a suburb that only has single-family houses. Nor did I want to move someplace that only had multiple units. One of the reasons we chose Oak Park was that we wanted to live in, and raise our child in, a community with a mixture of housing types and a diversity of residents.
Also, who says that only whites want to live in single-family homes? There are entire suburbs, such as Bellwood or Country Club Hills, that are predominantly black families living in single-family homes. Our block is diverse. So how is wanting a single-family home a race issue?
Another issue is the historic districts in Oak Park. So many people have worked so hard over the years to protect them and our historic architecture that is world-famous. Could they be torn down to make way for multi-unit buildings? If the answer is no, then those of us in bungalows are being discriminated against.
The village really should do a mailing to every home in Oak Park explaining the issues and notifying people about opportunities for discussion. I have not seen anything directly from the village. I sometimes hear about the meetings and comments after they have happened. I know there are more meetings planned. I’ve seen a list from a neighbor but hope there will be something directly from the village.
Affordability is certainly an issue, but it is not an issue exclusive to single-family homes. Look at the price of condos. Some of them cost more than my house. Rentals rates are hardly cheap either, so building more buildings might not help. It is an issue all over, not just here. The village has built some affordable buildings. How has that gone?
There was a much greater outreach for community involvement for a less consequential plan several years ago to redo Downtown Oak Park. In the almost 44 years that I have lived in Oak Park this is the most consequential issue ever, and the village really needs to reach out directly to all its residents.
Joyce Porter
Oak Park