Naperville City Council will continue to discuss a list of incentives to encourage companies to add affordable housing units to residential developments. Real estate consultant SB Friedman created the list of potential incentives for developers, which included floor area ratios, parking spots, open space, and several other factors.
“I think SB Friedman did a really good job, and did exactly what we asked them to,” said Naperville mayor Steve Chirico at Tuesday night’s council meeting. “What they’ve assembled is a little rich for my blood, and so I’m not there on this particular proposal, but I think I can get there.”
During the meeting, city council was given three options: agree with the proposed incentive program and have city staff create an ordinance for review, authorize more money for SB Friedman to create a new plan, or do without the incentives and focus on other affordable housing plans, such as instating a revolving rehabilitation loan program for low-income senior citizens.
City Staff Alterations
Council gave members of city staff another six weeks to refine the program. The mayor recommended that the staff meet with him and another member of city council to review the proposed ordinance and see which sections need modification.
Mayor Chirico and some council members also wanted to make sure that if a developer buys lots and knocks down existing homes that multi-family housing cannot be built in an area strictly allowing single-family houses
Naperville Park District’s Role
The affordable housing incentives include a list of options that a qualifying residential development could select. A 50% reduction in required park donations is one of the possible incentives. The Naperville Park District does not support the inclusion of a potential park donation reduction in the proposed program.
Executive Director Brad Wilson said in a letter to council the park district would like city staff to remove the automatic reductions from the revised ordinance, and instead look at the new developments and the land-cash fees on a case-by-case basis.
City council will discuss the revised ordinance at a future meeting.
Naperville News 17’s Will Payne reports.
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