Highland Park holds public hearing on 2025 affordable housing plan; council urged to adopt state-required submission

The Highland Park City Council held a public hearing Monday on the city’s 2025 Affordable Housing Plan, a submission required by the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act that staff said will be sent to the Illinois Housing Development Authority for review.

Director of Community Development Joel Fontaine summarized the plan and told the council the city must submit a plan because its percentage of housing that meets the state’s affordability calculation is below the 10% threshold. "The goal for complying with the state act is to require a minimum of 10% affordable within the jurisdictions described in subsection b of section 20 of the act," Fontaine said. He described the report as largely a description of existing programs, including Highland Park’s inclusionary ordinance and scattered-site program, and not a set of new policy…