As the debate continues around zoning reform, I am reminded why I chose to rent in Oak Park. When my wife and I were looking for places to live, we found a village filled with “In This House We Believe” signs, Black Lives Matter stickers, and Pride flags, and we knew that this welcoming community would be a great home for us. We chose to rent here because of the values this village espouses.
As a progressive, I am for changes to the zoning code to make sure we are able to build more housing across our village. This will help increase the supply and bring down housing costs. I also believe that zoning must be done in tandem with strengthening the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) that makes sure new construction reserves apartments at an affordable rent.
Our group, Oak Parkers for Affordable Housing, is advocating changes to our current IHO to make sure that any new building with over 7 units reserves 20% of those units as affordable units. If developers opt out, they would have to pay the village a market-rate fee into our Housing Trust Fund so that the village can use that money to fund other affordable housing projects. This ensures that new housing is not only for the wealthy, but also for the rest of us.
These changes will mean that more young people will be able to live here after they finish school. It means more elderly folks will be able to stay in the community they love. It means we can remain a village of diversity. It means allowing people from a working-class background a chance to be a part of our neighborhood.
We hear around the country how red states are building walls and creating policies that prevent others from entering their communities. Change can be scary, but we are a bold community. We welcome new neighbors and do not enact barriers to keep others out. As a village, we need to recognize that if we truly stand for the values that we claim, then that means we support them in our backyard.
If you’re interested in helping us, connect at https://www.affordableoakpark.org.
Ryan O’Malley
Member of Oak Parkers for Affordable Housing and the Housing Programs Advisory Committee