Naperville may become a place where people who work and spend their money can also afford to live.
The Naperville City Council this week unanimously agreed to establish an incentive program that would guarantee breaks on fees and city requirements if a developer agrees to build rental or for-sale housing that is classified as affordable.
Incentives include a choice of reductions to yard setbacks, parking for rental units, required masonry materials on side and rear facades, and outdoor common spaces.
Also included is a possible 25% reduction in the park donation paid to Naperville Park District and increases in lot coverage and building height.
The number of enticements allowed would increase depending on the affordable units proposed and if lower incomes are targeted.
Property already zoned for single-family homes or duplexes would not be eligible for the incentives.
Mayor Steve Chirico said it’s taken years to get this program right for the city.
“For an ordinance really to pass the test of time, it needs to go through that process. A lot of people have opinions on it and we don’t want to approve something to have it overturned by a future council,” he said.
He believes the plan “will pass the test of time and will effectively achieve some of our goals,” Chirico said.
Councilman Ian Holzhauer called it “a historic night for Naperville.”
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“We’re envisioning an inclusive future where people who work in Naperville can afford to live in Naperville, where a setback in life doesn’t mean there’s no longer a place for you in the community,” he said.
What they’ve put together is the end result of hearing from people of all generations, creeds, cultures, races and physical abilities who want to create a more inclusive community, Holzhauer said.
Housing is a sustainability issue, Councilman Benny White added.
“In order to sustain a community, we need to have housing choices for everyone. This goes to accomplishing that,” he said.
Naperville often is referred to as the greatest city in America, and that’s based on the outstanding teachers, police officers and firefighters who work in the city, White said. But they don’t live in Naperville because they can’t afford to live in the town where they work.
This ordinance will change that, he said.
Councilman Paul Hinterlong recalled meeting with DuPage Housing Alliance members when he first ran for the council in 2009 and thanked them for continuing to offer insight on affordable housing over the years.
While he still has reservations about the park donation and parking variances, “I’m willing to move forward with this and let things work themselves out as we go,” he said.
Naperville resident Phil Meno, a member of the DuPage Housing Alliance, told the council the ordinance may not be not the ideal some had hoped for, but it does mark significant progress over the absence of any plan.
“You stand tonight on the cusp of taking the most significant single step yet toward achieving systematic and sustainable increases in affordable housing in Naperville well into the future,” he said.
The next step will be for city staff to prepare the final ordinance for review by the council at a later date.
Besides the incentives program, the ordinance will include provisions covering for-sale homes after the initial sale, restrictions for rental units, affordable housing agreements, and enforcement.