Abundant Housing Illinois is pleased that Alderman Hopkins has announced (1) his support for a proposal that will bring 349 new homes to Old Town at 1600 N LaSalle. We appreciate the Alderman working with the developer to find a path forward on this much-needed housing.
Although 349 new homes is undoubtedly a positive addition for Old Town and Chicago, we are disappointed that the unit count was reduced by 30% from the original proposal for 500 homes. We are saddened that the compromise came at the expense of much-needed additional housing, more neighbors, more customers for nearby businesses, and millions of dollars in property tax revenue for our beleaguered public budgets. The future of Chicago depends on bold steps to address our housing crisis, including building more homes in high-opportunity, transit-served neighborhoods like Old Town.
During a nearly four-year long process, more than 1,000 (2) letters (3) of support for this building were submitted to Alderman Hopkins. The impact of the efforts of Abundant Housing Illinois (AHIL) members is clearly shown via the response to Hopkins’ compromise by the opponents of the proposed new homes. Without AHIL’s dedicated efforts, including attendance at multiple community meetings, it is possible that no new homes would be built on this site.
Opponents of this project, such as Old Town Friends for Responsible Development (OTFRD), Old Town Triangle Association (OTTA), and the Old Town Merchants & Residents Association (OTMRA), have shown a lack of willingness to engage in good faith with genuine community input, as seen in their constantly shifting goalposts around appropriate height and density, and their opposition to this proposed version, even as Alderman Hopkins has worked to broker a compromise meeting their demands.
The decrease from 500 to 349 homes means 151 fewer homes will be built – 151 families or individuals who will have to look elsewhere for housing they can afford in a city facing a severe housing shortage. As a result of this decision, 30 fewer affordable homes will be built. This reduction in affordable homes is consistent with findings from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development that North Side, majority-White wards restrict the construction of affordable housing through aldermanic prerogative. (4) It also means significantly less property tax revenue will be generated, reducing the original size of the benefit in sharing the tax burden with other property owners. This is part of an alarming trend in the 2nd Ward, which over the past few years has denied at least 365 homes (5) (including 73 affordable homes) from multiple proposed projects.
We look forward to working with Alderman Hopkins, City Council, and the Mayor's office to advance policies that will enable the construction of as much housing as is needed to end our city’s shortage, because Chicago's families deserve abundant housing choices in every neighborhood.
- https://www.aldermanhopkins.com/_files/ugd/742760_140d14778cd34327828cf66f55550496.pdf
- https://www.engagefernhill.com/updates
- https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-500-new-homes-in-old-town
- https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2023/11/28/23979913/aldermanic-prerogative-affordable-housing-hud-chicago-discrimination
- Denied homes: 1628 N Wells St (31 homes), 1320 W Fullerton Pkwy (154 homes), 1542 N Wells St (16 homes), 1309 W Belden Ave (13 homes), plus the 151 homes in the Fern Hill proposal, totaling 365 homes. The number of affordable homes (73) is derived by multiplying 365 by 20%, the standard ARO requirement.