Suburban Leaders Revolt Against Pritzker’s Zoning Overhaul

Illinois’ zoning wars are heading to Springfield.

Leaders from several Northwest suburban communities are lining up against Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposal to curb local control over residential development, arguing the plan would upend long-standing zoning rules, strain infrastructure and alter the character of their towns.

The Daily Herald reported that at a news conference in South Barrington on Thursday, Mayor Paula McCombie urged lawmakers to reject the governor’s housing package, dubbed Building Up Illinois Developments, or Build. Pritzker unveiled the framework during his State of the State address, pitching it as a way to ease housing constraints by loosening rules on minimum lot sizes, density caps, parking requirements and inspections.

The changes could open the door to more apartments, condos and two-flats in areas long dominated by single-family homes. The outlet reported that the proposal would also allow accessory dwelling units and other freestanding residential structures on lots originally zoned for one house.

For suburbs built on lax density and large parcels, that prospect is a nonstarter.

In nearby Barrington Hills, where 5-acre minimum lots and equestrian trails define the landscape, Village President Brian Cecola said mandating smaller lots or multifamily housing “will destroy our town.” McCombie echoed the sentiment, arguing zoning exists to protect property owners, and warning that the proposal would “strip away that local control.”

The opposition event was orchestrated by state Rep. Martin McLaughlin, a Republican from Barrington Hills, who was joined by leaders from Algonquin, North Barrington and Hawthorn Woods. McLaughlin said suburban officials were blindsided by the plan and framed the pushback as bipartisan.

“Zoning is one of the great protectors we have for investment,” he said, rejecting the idea that local land use rules are inherently exclusionary.

The resistance isn’t limited to a handful of affluent enclaves. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which represents 275 municipalities across northeast Illinois, recently called for a housing task force to vet concerns before any legislation advances, according to the publication. Executive Director Neil James said communities vary widely in geography, infrastructure and housing demand, making one-size-fits-all mandates problematic.

If Build survives, it could unlock new multifamily pipelines in land-constrained suburbs and chip away at some of the region’s most restrictive zoning regimes. If not, Illinois’ patchwork of hyperlocal land-use controls will remain firmly intact — and so will the barriers to adding density.

— Eric Weilbacher