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CHAMPAIGN — Rent and housing prices in Illinois have been steadily rising for the past decade, leading to an uptick in homelessness across the state.
Supply and demand issues related to housing in Illinois are nothing new: too many people and not enough housing units. But zoning restrictions in some cities create additional challenges when it comes to the construction of new affordable housing units.
Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that could help. In February, legislators introduced three bills aimed at addressing the housing shortage in Illinois:
- People Over Parking Act (HB3256, SB2352)
- Local-Accessory Dwelling Units (HB3552)
- Affordable Communities Act (HB3288)
The proposals target local zoning ordinances that affordable housing advocates say worsen the housing supply for Illinois’ increasing population. The House bills have been referred to the Rules Committee and the Senate bill has been referred to assignments.
Less parking, more housing units
Champaign-Urbana will benefit most from the People Over Parking Act, according to Adani Sanchez, a volunteer for the statewide advocacy group Abundant Housing Illinois.
The bill would prevent local governments from enforcing minimum parking requirements on a development project within half a mile from a public transit stop.
Right now, every housing unit that’s built in Champaign County is required to have its own parking spot for every two hundred square feet of floor area. But for many people who don’t have a car, these parking spots aren’t necessary, and they take up space that could be used to construct more housing.
“The measure would mean that housing developers would not be given an arbitrary number of parking spots to build, but rather “can decide for themselves what the market need is,” Sanchez said. “This is going to be another way to encourage people to use the transit that we already have.”
More options for people who can’t buy — or don’t want — a single-family home
Champaign-Urbana faces a lack of adequate housing availability as most of the land in the twin cities is allocated to detached, single-family houses with large minimum lot sizes, said Tony Crispin, a volunteer with (CU)rbanism.
That leaves few options for single people and those who can’t afford a traditional home. Crispin worries that the lack of options makes it hard for Champaign-Urbana to support a diverse population.
“It’s really going to come down to local communities themselves, asking themselves, what kind of community they want to be. Do we want to be a community that welcomes everyone, or do we want to be a community that just allows the wealthy to enter?” said Crispin, who’s currently a junior in fine and applied arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Champaign-Urbana’s population includes a wide variety of people, ranging from college students and recent graduates to large families. Most college students don’t require and cannot afford single-family housing, and many people find it difficult to find a home that will fit their economic and social needs, Sanchez said.
“If a neighborhood only allows people to live there who can afford a single-family home, that’s exclusionary. They’re saying, no, you can’t live here unless you can afford this McMansion,” Sanchez said.
The need for housing in Champaign-Urbana is exacerbated by the growing student population. The U of I had record-breaking enrollment numbers in Fall 2024.
The Local-Accessory Dwelling Units bill would allow a greater diversity of housing units to be built. For example, it would allow a garage or coach house to be converted into a separate living space, which is currently not allowed in Champaign.
Allowing more mid-sized dwellings to meet the growing need
Champaign and Urbana both prohibit the construction of cottage courts, which are groups of small houses that share the same lot, Sanchez said. Other cities allow them to be built only temporarily and have other restrictions.
The Affordable Communities Act would remove these restrictions in cities in Illinois with populations that exceed 100,000. (The bill in its current form would not impact Champaign and Urbana, because they don’t meet the population threshold).
Still, Crispin and Sanchez are hopeful that the legislation could make an impact.
Both Sanchez and Crispin have faced issues finding suitable housing themselves. Sanchez said she and her partner struggled to find a mid-sized dwelling — a bigger apartment or smaller house — and it took them three years to find a place that was also close to a transit line.
“We’ve already done a middle housing study session in Champaign, there is a missing middle. We already have cottage courts in Champaign and Urbana, but they’re just illegal [to build] now,” Sanchez said.
As an undergrad student attending U of I, Crispin said he searched extensively for an affordable single apartment to rent close to campus. He said it’s important to think about housing as an ecosystem.
“It’s going to be a lot of different policies, legislations and directions that cities take that will address all levels of the housing market,” Crispin said.