The Oct. 7 Wednesday Journal article “Feasibility study says new multi-unit development is unlikely” contains an indictment of Village Manager Kevin Jackson and Village President Vickie Scaman.
“The report does explain that changing the zoning to allow the multi-unit developments ‘by-right’ instead of through specific approvals, does streamline the process, which directly relates to lower design, holding and other soft costs. A longer approval process under current zoning would increase the feasibility gap.”
Why have Jackson and Scaman not focused on streamlining the current zoning-approval process to eliminate the additional costs associated with the current system, thus removing the need for elimination of single-family zoning?
I attended a Plan Commission meeting on Sept. 19, and I can report that this meeting had nothing to do with listening to citizen concerns or alternative suggestions. It was simply a sales pitch for the Shape Oak Park’s plan to eliminate single-family zoning to allow multi-unit developments. With the release of the Feasibility Study we now know that such a plan is not feasible. The board has certainly put the cart before the horse.
I believe each trustee owes every resident in Oak Park a “One View” in Viewpoints to answer a simple question:
Now that we know that it is not feasible to build 2-, 4-, and 6-flats on every residential block, what is the point of eliminating single-family zoning?
This is especially pertinent for those current trustees running for re-election in April. For an unknown number of us, the sheer gross incompetence of the current board in the handling of this zoning issue has turned us into single-issue voters.
Another question that might be very pertinent to Oak Park’s Black community is an Oct. 26, 2025, Wednesday Journal article titled, “Oak Park board looks for insight on barriers to homeownership.” It was reported, “Increasing opportunities for affordable homeownership across the board and addressing historic barriers to home ownership faced by racial minorities were both among the goals included in Oak Park’s “Strategic Vision for Housing.” What happened to these goals? Led by President Vicki Scaman and Trustees Cory Wesley and Chibuike Enyia, the goal of having Black Oak Parkers creating generational wealth through home ownership has apparently been usurped by tearing down affordable single-family homes and replacing them with 2-, 4-, and 6-flats in single-family neighborhoods. Our current board has seemingly chosen renting over home ownership for our Black residents.
At the Plan Commission I attended, President Scaman stated that the board has not yet determined a definition for “affordable” (subsidized?) housing. After months of discussion and debate, nobody on the village board knows what we are talking about. Shouldn’t adopting a definition of “affordable” housing have been the first thing the village board did? There are a lot of definitions out there; couldn’t they have just picked one?
Alan Krause
Oak Park