Pritzker’s BUILD Package Sent Back to Drawing Board

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s six bill package aimed at juicing construction in the state was effectively razed in the Illinois legislature’s spring sessions.

The group of bills known as Building Up Illinois Developments did not get called for a vote. The proposals that aimed to cut red tape around zoning for new construction and parking rules will not go forward. Pritzker said he is still committed to pushing affordable housing legislation, according to Crain’s. The series of bills had the backing of Illinois Realtors, Housing Action Illinois and other assorted housing advocates, according to the outlet.

Pritzker said that he believes more actions need to be taken on affordable housing in the state during a Tuesday morning press conference.

“I’ve proposed bills that may not have passed this session, but remember a whole lot of things … that are important take years to get done,” Pritzker said.

Ultimately, Pritzker couldn’t come to terms with local municipalities, who were opposed to the series of bills that wrested control away from them. Whether the bill package got a vote was down to the perception among local governments, and ultimately, Pritzker couldn’t convince enough people. Representative John Cabello from Rockford called the package a “flawed top-down mandate” according to the outlet.

The message sent was clear: Local municipalities want control of local zoning. The majority of pushback on the package was from suburban mayors who didn’t fancy the idea that the state could overrule them on zoning, according to the publication. They argued that a one-size-fits-all solution runs the risk of stripping communities of unique identity.

There was however action on other housing priorities during the spring legislative session.

Illinois’ nearly $60 billion budget now has $250 million earmarked for tackling the crisis head on: $20 million to energize middle-income housing development and $50 million toward a down payment on housing assistance.

— Hunter Cooke