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Skokie planners outline housing work, Main Street project and TIF-funded parking options
Summary
Community Development Director Johanna Naiden and economic-vitality staff described recent approvals (mixed-use and townhouse projects), housing-policy work including ADU recommendations and a housing land trust pilot, CDBG allocations of roughly $500,000–$600,000, and a Main Street Plaza project moving toward bid while TIF funds are being preserved for possible parking to support a proposed hotel.
Johanna Naiden, Community Development Director, and economic‑vitality staff presented development activity and policy work tied to the FY27 budget. Naiden summarized recent approvals—such as a 66‑unit, five‑story mixed‑use project on Skokie Boulevard and a 68‑unit townhome project—and described the department’s responsibilities for planning, permitting and inspections.
Naiden said the village is preparing to submit its CDBG action plan after receiving notification of a forthcoming allocation (typically in the $500,000–$600,000 range). She outlined the home‑improvement program changes adopted this year—raising the maximum grant from $12,000 to $20,000 and reducing the required lien term from 15 to 10 years—to address rising construction costs and encourage participation. Naiden also summarized housing‑policy work underway: the housing subcommittee advanced recommendations for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to the Plan Commission, and a housing‑land‑trust initiative was set for first reading the night before the hearing.
Rod, the economic‑vitality manager, reported business activity and downtown projects: roughly 120 new certificates of occupancy for new businesses over the past year, expansion of the winter market and a first cohort of the green‑business program. He said the Main Street Plaza/street project is nearing bid and that staff expect to release consultant RFQs this summer to build out an economic‑vitality strategy (selection in August; work starting in fall).
Trustees asked about short‑term rental registration (May 1 launch and the first compliance reports expected in fall), inventories of vacant parcels and whether expedited permitting privileges at Old Orchard should be extended elsewhere. Staff said they have mapped parcels and are pursuing sub‑area plans to target neighborhood needs while continuing permit‑process improvements and landlord trainings; they also described using TIF district funds to preserve debt service and to hold capacity for a possible parking structure tied to a hotel if a viable development path emerges.
On the hotel and potential parking structure, staff said some TIF dollars have been earmarked in project budgets and that the village is actively engaging with potential developers while litigation and legal processes continue; no final commitment to building a garage was made at the hearing.
