Residents and some council members press Illinois housing authority and developer over Emma’s Landing tenant-selection changes

Public comment at the March 17 City of Geneva council meeting focused on allegations that the tenant selection plan (TSP) for Emma’s Landing — an affordable housing development managed by Foresight Management and affiliated with the Burton Foundation — differs from a copy on file with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA).

Lindsey McCall, a long-time Geneva resident who has raised concerns about the development previously, told the council she obtained a TSP copy via an IHDA FOIA response and later received a different copy on-site from the property manager. “I reviewed what was sent by IHDA, and what was given to me from Foresight Management. And to my shock, many changes were made,” McCall said.

Scott (last name not specified), another resident who spoke during public comment, said he reviewed documents and called IHDA, which told him the TSP is a contract between the property manager and IHDA and “could not be changed without their permission or an asset manager’s approval on-site,” which he said had not occurred. He urged the council to take residents’ concerns seriously.

Resident Porter (first name not specified) presented specific differences he said he found between the IHDA document and the version handed to him by Foresight Management. Porter said the on-site copy removed a provision that had reserved seven units for special-needs tenants, added “30 units at the median income” that did not appear in the IHDA file, unchecked veteran and disability preference boxes, removed pre-application cards, shortened prior-housing verification from two years to zero, and deleted an income-eligibility addendum that defined the applicable Chicago-area median income. “They got rid of the 7 units. So it’s just the state referral network,” Porter said.

Multiple council members said the allegations warrant follow-up with the state agency. Alderman Dean Kilberg moved the council toward fact-finding and asked the city attorney and staff to pursue inquiries; aldermen including Becky Ruby, Alderman Bowering and Alderman Marks said they supported asking IHDA whether an investigation exists and whether the TSP was altered without authorization. City Attorney (name not given) advised that the council may direct staff to seek information and that the council could consider a letter later if fact-finding supports it.

City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins told the council the city has no ongoing administrative oversight role of IHDA-managed contracts and that zoning and municipal code enforcement remain the city’s principal responsibilities. “There is a process with the state and how that’s monitored is a fair question,” Dawkins said. Alderman Bruno and others urged staff to ask IHDA whether the agency is investigating and to request updates that could be shared with the council.

Several residents described safety concerns. Lindsey McCall and others said police reports show a rise in incidents after initial months that were “pretty good,” and Alderman Gilbert said he had requested police-visit records showing more concerning activity in the most recent six months. The council discussed sharing resident-collected documentation with the city attorney to inform next steps.

Council members clarified limits on municipal authority. The city attorney said Geneva, as a non–home-rule municipality, cannot impose ongoing monitoring or new requirements beyond what municipal code already allows; however, staff can request information from IHDA and, if warranted, the council can compose a letter expressing city concerns. Several aldermen said the city should request that IHDA share investigative findings and confirm whether the TSP on file is the controlling document.

No formal enforcement action or sanctions against the developer were taken at the meeting. Council members agreed as a body to pursue fact-finding through staff and legal counsel and to ask IHDA about the TSP discrepancies and the status of any IHDA review or investigation. The council also discussed the possibility of later collective action depending on what state-level fact-finding shows.

Ending: The council moved on after public comment with a direction for staff and legal counsel to request information and report back; members said they would consider further steps if state responses or additional documentation substantiated the allegations.