Tag:Chicago Housing
Chicago’s Bold New Vision: Green Social Housing for a Sustainable, Equitable Future
Last week, Chicago City Council committees on Housing and Finance convened for negotiations and discussions on a monumental—and markedly contentious—green social housing plan. This comes nearly two months after Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Housing introduced an enabling ordinance in the Chicago City Council, allowing the City to establish an independent nonprofit with the authority to serve as the Green Social Housing (GSH) developer. The GSH model tackles both housing insecurity and climate change head-on by developing permanently affordable, energy-efficient homes in every community. Spearheaded by the Chicago Department of Housing and the Illinois Green New Deal coalition, this initiative is poised to reshape how housing is built, owned, and lived in across the city.
Will Chicago’s Northwest Side Ordinance Protect Affordable Housing Along “The 606”?
On September 19th, 2024, the Chicago City Council passed the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance “Northwest Side Ordinance” by a vote of 44-3. The ordinance is designed to fight gentrification and preserve affordable housing in a set area near “The 606” recreation trail that includes parts of the Avondale, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Logan Square and West Town neighborhoods. The DePaul Institute for Housing Studies found that, between 2013 and 2018, communities on the western end of The 606 lost almost 60% of their two to six flat buildings. To address this, Chicago City Council passed two ordinances in 2021 that changed zoning regulations to reduce displacement in both Pilsen and communities near The 606. These regulations proved to be very successful in slowing demolitions and deconversions within the boundaries of the study area and resulted in the permanent Northwest Side ordinance passed by City Council last month.
Streamlining Regulatory Compliance in Chicago’s Real Estate Development
In December 2023, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson took a significant step toward revolutionizing the city’s real estate development process by signing Executive Order No. 2023-21. This directive tasked 14 city departments with identifying the key barriers that complicate housing and commercial development that subsequently lead to delays, increased costs, and uncertainty. The goal was to find solutions to accelerate the approval processes, reduce regulatory redundancies, and streamline compliance with city, state, and federal regulations, ultimately making Chicago’s real estate development process more efficient and predictable.