Hunter

Under Ald. Quinn's ADUs plan... regular side street apartment building tiny basement apartment doesn't need union labor ...but a tiny basement apartment for grandma would require union labor, jacking up costs call your alderperson, ask them to support Ald. Lawson's ADU plan

Under Ald. Quinn's ADUs plan...

regular side street apartment building doesn't need union labor

...but a tiny basement ADU for grandma would require union labor, jacking up costs

One-third of Chicagoans can't afford cost of living

Over the last 10 years:

🏘️ Housing costs ⬆️ 45%
🥕 Grocery costs ⬆️ 28%

We MUST build more housing

Image of typical Chicago two-flats, three-flats, and four-flats with a text overlay that says "Chicago just eliminated parking mandates for residential areas located near public transit"

🚨 HOUSING WIN 🚨

Today, the Chicago City Council eliminated costly parking mandates for all residential zones located near CTA and Metra bus and rail stations. 🥳

This important reform will lower construction costs and make it easier to build new homes across almost all of Chicago. 🏘️

JB riding the red line with Chicagoans

Hey @govpritzker.illinois.gov whip your party into shape. You have unacceptable results on transit revenue and reform from Springfield.

The fiscal cliff has been a nationwide emergency for years. CMAP published the PART report in Dec 23. The timeline for the agencies has not changed. The Legislature was given a practical deadline, and failed to meet it. What happens now is a consequence only of their actions. 14/

Horrible morning. A 🧵 on how the fiscal cliff and budget works, from someone on the inside, so we understand what happens now.

The most important headline: Midnight was not the deadline for the transit agencies, it was the deadline for the legislature. 1/

After passing Illinois Senate, a bill that would fund & reform Chicago’s transit system failed to be considered by the House, which adjourned for the session.

Chicago’s CTA, Metra & Pace transit systems now face big cuts in service from the fiscal cliff that the state legislature didn’t address.

The house is about to adjourn for the session.

No transit funding, no parking reform, no four flats by right, no ADUs by right, and large nuclear remains banned. Man, what a let down. We were so close on all of these. Woof.

CTA wouldn’t make an ‘L’ map of what their doomsday could look like, but I did. RTA says the CTA could reduce or close four entire lines and close or greatly reduce service at 50 stations, so here’s what killing 4 lines and 50 stations could look like.

Welcome to the future.

hey @govpritzker.illinois.gov what's the plan to ensure that Chicagoland transit doesn't topple over the fiscal cliff, squandering one of our most distinctive assets and ending all hope of a sustainable or equitable future for the region

Illinois deserves a fully funded, world-class transit system. Please file a witness slip as a "proponent" for SFA3: my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/...

Big news: after pushing back against the unfunded version and previous funding options, labor is filing witness slips in *support* of this version. Join the chorus and file a witness slip in support of Amendment 3!

⬇️ take this action now!

If you want transit in Chicago to be saved, sign a “Proponent” witness slip immediately!

Firm: “Self”
Representing: “Self”
Subject matter: “HB 3438 - SFA 3”
Position: Proponent
Testimony: “Appearance Only”

my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/...

What do we mean when we say "filtering?" Distinguishing between two different housing market dynamics

"Filtering" is very important to understanding the impacts of new market-rate development, but the term seems to be used to describe two different things.

Today, I discuss two kinds of "filtering" in housing (and recent economic research on each topic)
pencillingout.substack.com/p/what-do-we...

Missing middle housing in Logan Square, featuring pride flag

This afternoon, the IL House’s Housing Committee moved forward bills that would legalize ADUs statewide and missing middle housing statewide! 🏘️ 🥳

Abundant Housing IL endorsed both of these bills, and our members sent over 1,500 letters of support to Chair Jimenez and Speaker Welch

#HB1813 #HB1814

ACTION ALERT

The People Over Parking Act has been assigned to the house Executive Committee for a hearing TODAY.

Please sign a “proponent” witness slip. For “Firm/Business” I put “Abundant Housing Illinois”

my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/...

Everything got so stupid so quickly.

Rendering of Fern Hill’s Old Town development with an approved sticker

Today, the Chicago Plan Commission APPROVED Fern Hill's Old Town Canvas development, located at 1600 North La Salle Drive! 🥳 🌆 🏗️

349 new homes, including 70 affordable homes, are one step closer to reality in this high-opportunity, transit-oriented neighborhood.

Next stop, Zoning Committee!

Letter to the Plan Commission in support of the Broadway Land Use Framework To the members of the Chicago Plan Commission:

As a private citizen, I submitted a comment to the Plan Commission in support of the Broadway rezoning--on both sides of Broadway medium.com/@DanielKayHe...

Statement on Ald. Hopkins’ decision regarding the proposed homes located at 1600 N LaSalle By Abundant Housing Illinois

🚨 HOUSING WIN 🚨

For the first time in decades, a new high rise will be built in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.

This outcome, while reduced in scope from the original proposal, was made possible thanks to the dedicated efforts of our members.

Read our full statement here:

Former Groupon HQ sells for 83% less than 2018 price A venture led by ex-NBA owner Robert Sarver bought the building at 600 W. Chicago Ave. from Sterling Bay, one of the most extreme cases of lost value in the vacancy-plagued downtown office market.

The same week that Alderman Hopkins rejected 500 new homes in Old Town, the Montgomery Ward building sold for *83% less* than its 2018 sale price.

Aldermanic prerogative is speed-running Chicago to fiscal insolvency.

www.chicagobusiness.com/commercial-r...

Chicago will lose out on the benefits that the project would’ve provided:

• 100 new affordable housing units
• 400 new market rate housing units
• Several hundred new residents that would’ve patronized local businesses
• $2+ million per year in annual property taxes
• Bike & pedestrian improvements

One of the biggest reasons why we’re [gestures wildly] here right now is because at some point we started worrying more about being performative than actually performing.

We need to get back to getting shit done.

Letter on Fern Hill

After *three years* of negotiations, Alderman Brian Hopkins has killed the 500 home development proposed at North and LaSalle in Old Town.

The project would have included 💯 affordable homes in one of Chicago’s most expensive neighborhoods.

Wondering why we have a housing crisis? Look no further.

As a 2nd Ward resident, I am disappointed to see this socially, fiscally, and environmentally irresponsible decision from Alderman Hopkins.

Chicago’s pro-housing coalition is gaining momentum and we will remember this decision when he’s up for reelection in 2027.

NPC getting mad meme: We need radical change! Okay, what's your plan to get power and enact the changes you want?

I see this a lot.

Line chart showing five lines for the Chicago area (2018–2024): Shelter (orange) leads at +31.5%, outrunning overall inflation (+24.7%) and average hourly wages (+20.4%). “All items less shelter” is at +20.1%. Real wages in red have fallen to –3.3%. Housing costs outpacing wage growth is evident. Chart by Michael McLean (@mclean.bsky.social), using data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Created with Datawrapper.

Since 2018 the cost of living has outpaced wage growth in Chicago

👎 24.7% inflation
👎 20.4% wage growth

The biggest driver? Housing (or the lack of it)

‼️ 31.5% increase in housing costs!

Dreaming of the day when our buildings have electric cargo bike garages instead of parkades.