The Opticos Report, commissioned by the Oak Park trustees in late 2025 to address affordable housing, instead focuses on how zoning changes can attract developers to through incentives to construct multi-unit buildings in single-family neighborhoods. Increased density does not ensure affordability. It does correlate to traffic congestion, school enrollment increases, infrastructure impacts, and more parked cars. Oak Park’s Development Director recently told this newspaper parking is a disconnected issue, not linked to zoning changes. For most residents it is directly connected.
Review of the Opticos Report indicates several conflicts with the village’s 2014 Comprehensive Plan & 2024 Strategic Vision for Housing Plan, including:
Opticos p. 7 states, “The updated ordinance should not include standards for minimum lot area” in current single-family neighborhoods, and further, “Oak Park does not need minimum lot area standards which can impact reinvestments.” On p. 8 & p. 9 Opticos states the revised ordinance “should also avoid minimum lot area per dwelling unit requirements for townhouse & multi-unit projects, because these standards function as density limitations.” And later on p. 9, “We recommend removing the existing maximum building coverage standard from the current Zoning Ordinance.” On p. 10 Opticos states their recommendation to increase the number of principal dwelling units allowed per lot, “would allow greater housing density.”
In contrast, the 2014 Comprehensive Plan includes a strategy for mixed-use & multifamily development in business districts. The 2024 Strategic Vision for Housing Plan includes Strategy #1, “Allow for Additional Multifamily Housing within Oak Park’s Business Districts & Other Suitable Development Sites.” Neither the 2014 Comprehensive Plan nor the 2024 Housing Plan includes a strategy of targeting single-family residential neighborhoods for multi-unit development or adopting financial incentives to attract developers.
The trustees (who were elected to represent residents) should take the time required to understand residents’ concerns instead of rushing to adopt the Opticos recommendations.
Ann Straw
Oak Park