Capitol News Illinois file photo by Andrew Adams
By Brenden Moore | Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker will propose a statewide zoning law in his State of the State address on Wednesday, drastically limiting the authority local governments have to control what types of housing structures can be built on land that’s zoned residential.
Pritzker’s office says the measure will call for relaxed restrictions on the development of multi-unit housing, allowing homeowners to build “granny flats” and cutting other forms of red tape that have slowed homebuilding in recent years.
He’s also asking lawmakers to approve $250 million in capital funding for infrastructure grants aimed at knocking out “below ground costs” at sites eyed for residential development, programs to build out “middle” housing and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
Middle housing describes multi-unit buildings that fall between single-family homes and larger apartment complexes. They take various forms, such as two-flats, townhomes, fourplexes and courtyard buildings.
A study published last year by the University of Illinois found that the state is about 142,000 units of housing short and would need to build 227,000 over the next five years to keep up with demand. That equals about 45,000 new homes a year — nearly double the five-year average of about 19,000 built annually between 2019 and 2024.
As a result, home prices have spiked 37% over five years while active home listings decreased 64%. At the same time, new construction permits are down 13%.
Pritzker’s plan, dubbed Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD, comes as Democrats in Springfield turn their focus this election year to affordability.
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