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Skokie board advances housing fund and enables housing land trust; second reading set for Nov. 3
Summary
The Village Board voted to advance ordinance changes to create a Skokie Housing Land Trust and establish a housing fund that staff say would be seeded in part by developer fees-in-lieu. The measure passed on first reading and will return Nov. 3 for final action.
The Village of Skokie on Oct. 21 approved on first reading updates to village code to enable a Skokie Housing Land Trust and create a housing fund intended to support affordable housing activities, staff said.
The policy, presented by Justin Malone, neighborhood and housing coordinator in the Community Development Department, would allow the village to use fee-in-lieu revenue from developers and other sources to seed a fund for purchasing and rehabilitating property and to partner with a nonprofit to operate a community land-trust model. Under the proposal staff described, the village would retain ownership of underlying land while eligible homeowners buy the structures; grant assistance aimed at small 2–4 unit properties could provide up to $50,000 per grant, with a proposed cap of $300,000 annually.
Malone said the land-trust model helps keep homes affordable in perpetuity by separating ownership of land from ownership of structures and by using resale restrictions to preserve affordability. He told the board that neighboring suburbs have used similar approaches, and staff proposed that the village authorize the program and then select a nonprofit partner to administer the land-trust operations and eligibility screening.
Trustees pressed staff on governance, funding mechanics and the fee-in-lieu amount. Staff and trustees discussed that the village’s existing inclusionary framework sets a $100,000-per-unit fee-in-lieu in many cases; trustees asked whether that amount and the ordinance placement should be revisited, and whether the village should aim for multiple funding sources beyond fees. Staff said the proposal is a starting point and the ordinance language will be revised based on feedback.
After extended discussion the board moved and carried the item on first reading. The measure will return to the board for second reading and final action at the Nov. 3 meeting.
Actions and next steps include selecting an implementation partner, finalizing governance details (including whether a village representative or community advisory panel will have seats on an administering nonprofit board), and identifying additional funding sources beyond fees-in-lieu, trustees said.
Justin Malone presented the proposal; Village Manager John Lockerbie and Community Development Director Johanna Knighton also participated in the discussion. Trustee Schechter recorded the lone “no” vote in the roll call on Oct. 21.
Staff said the ordinance language will be revised and brought back for a second reading and adoption vote on Nov. 3.
