{"id":350226,"date":"2025-11-02T11:42:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T11:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/350226\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T11:42:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T11:42:09","slug":"chicago-doesnt-lack-cranes-it-lacks-balance-in-its-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/350226\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago doesn’t lack cranes. It lacks balance in its housing."},"content":{"rendered":"

Rents are rising in Chicago, but blaming zoning rules or construction slowdowns misses what\u2019s really going on. The recent editorial \u201cApartment rents in Chicago are rising faster than you think\u201d<\/a> (Oct. 27) points to Zillow data and concludes that we simply aren\u2019t building enough. The truth is more complicated.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s problem isn\u2019t how much we build. It\u2019s what we build. The city has steadily lost its most affordable apartments \u2014 two- to four-unit buildings that once housed much of the middle class. The Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University reports<\/a> that these buildings made up about 38% of all rentals in 2012 but only 32% in 2021. As they disappear, the supply of reasonably priced units vanishes even as cranes fill the skyline.<\/p>\n

That loss is showing up in the data. Chicago faces a shortfall of roughly 119,000 affordable units \u2014 the largest gap in more than a decade. About half of all renters now spend over 30% of their income on housing. New luxury towers won\u2019t solve that imbalance.<\/p>\n

The editorial\u2019s comparison to Denver also leaves out key context. Denver\u2019s slight rent dip came after a flood of new construction \u2014 about 20,000 new apartments in a single year \u2014 and slower population growth. Chicago isn\u2019t facing those conditions. Even in Denver, the biggest rent drops<\/a> have been in newer, high-end buildings, while older, more affordable units continue to rise in price.<\/p>\n

In neighborhoods from Rogers Park to Bronzeville in Chicago, older walk-ups and two-flats are disappearing faster than they\u2019re replaced. Affordability isn\u2019t about building endlessly upward. It\u2019s about protecting the homes that already keep our city livable.<\/p>\n

Chicago doesn\u2019t lack cranes. It lacks balance.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brett Barnes, Chicago<\/p>\n

We need more housing<\/p>\n

Rents are rising, inventory is tight and the city\u2019s housing gap is growing. We agree with the recent editorial citing a Zillow report showing rents in our region are growing faster than in any other major metro. The root cause is not because demand is suddenly spiking, but because supply isn\u2019t keeping up. When we fail to build enough housing, affordability slips further out of reach for working families, young professionals, seniors and those most in need.<\/p>\n

The solution isn\u2019t government-imposed arbitrary price limits but instead streamlining development processes, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and incentivizing investment in housing construction to bring much-needed inventory to the market. Chicago\u2019s housing gap is real and growing. According to the nonprofit Up for Growth<\/a>, our metro area now ranks among the top three nationwide for housing underproduction, with a shortfall of roughly 165,700 units. This imbalance between supply and demand is one of the biggest threats to our city\u2019s long-term affordability and competitiveness.<\/p>\n

To the city\u2019s credit, there are encouraging steps underway. The administration\u2019s approval of the LaSalle Street conversion project \u2014 transforming vacant office space into more than 1,000 new apartments \u2014 is a smart example of adaptive reuse that both revitalizes downtown and adds much-needed housing. The City Council\u2019s unanimous approval of a $1.25 billion bond to support housing and neighborhood development sends a strong signal of commitment, as do recent efforts to expand the accessory dwelling unit pilot program citywide.<\/p>\n

But to more rapidly close Chicago\u2019s housing gap, we must accelerate this progress. Policies that add new layers of regulation or punitive measures such as rent control will only make it harder and more expensive to build, deterring investment and slowing development. Cities that have gone down this road, from New York to San Francisco, have seen housing supply shrink and affordability worsen.<\/p>\n

The solution is clear: Build more housing. We must encourage investment, partner with developers and property owners, and make it easier \u2014 not harder \u2014 to create new homes in every neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Michael J. Mini, executive vice president, Chicagoland Apartment Association, Chicago<\/p>\n

End qualified immunity<\/p>\n

On Monday, Springfield\u2019s Massey Commission held its final of 14 meetings<\/a> that began following the tragic and fatal shooting of Sonya Massey by a Sangamon County sheriff\u2019s deputy. Over the course of more than a year, the commission gathered expert and community feedback into the systemic failures that led to Massey\u2019s death, culminating in more than 25 formal calls to action<\/a>. Many of those focused on city and county needs, but one such call urges \u201cthe Illinois General Assembly to enact Qualified Immunity Reform to Strengthen Civil Rights Accountability.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Qualified immunity is the judicial doctrine that can make it nearly impossible to vindicate your constitutional rights in court if a government official violates them. It requires that victims of these rights abuses find cases nearly identical to their own in which a federal judge already ruled that a violation took place, meaning that any slight deviation in the way in which your rights are violated can make the perpetrator immune to civil accountability.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I presented to the Massey Commission in July<\/a>, I shared model qualified immunity reform legislation<\/a> based on work by the Institute for Justice, a nonprofit, public interest law firm that fights in court and in state capitols across the country to ensure accountability for civil rights abuses. That legislation would require that city, county and state government agencies and departments finally be held accountable when their employees violate the rights of Illinoisans, creating a new right to sue for abuses of state and federal constitutional rights.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bill, similar to New Mexico\u2019s Civil Rights Act passed in 2021, would ensure that the rights enshrined in the state and federal constitutions actually mean something and that government officials who violate them (from law enforcement officers who use unnecessary force to game wardens who trespass on private property without a warrant) would be held accountable.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

That also includes the rights guaranteed by the Illinois Crime Victims\u2019 Bill of Rights<\/a>, a point made by my co-presenter at July\u2019s meeting, Amy Endicott from CARE for Victims, a community group focused on victim advocacy, accountability and transparency in the justice system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Illinois has a chance to join the growing ranks of states standing up for the rights of their citizens, and state legislators who care about justice and accountability have the chance to prove it by ending qualified immunity in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014 Chad Reese,\u00a0Institute for Justice, Arlington, Virginia<\/p>\n

Portillo\u2019s ownership<\/p>\n

In the Oct. 27 editorial about Portillo\u2019s (\u201cFor Italian beef palace Portillo\u2019s, there\u2019s no place like home\u201d<\/a>), the focus is on overaccelerated growth leading to decline. Not the first time that a restaurant has decided to expand and it doesn\u2019t work. But I don\u2019t think that was the main factor. Since Dick Portillo sold the fabulous Chicago restaurant chain, the food quality has gone downhill!<\/p>\n

People are voting with their wallets. As longtime Chicago-area residents, going to Portillo\u2018s was always a special treat for my family and me. We went several times a month. But when the ownership changed, we noticed the difference. The beef sandwich isn\u2019t as good. The fries aren\u2019t as good. And the chopped salad is definitely different. Not for the better.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Jane McGrath, Delavan, Wisconsin<\/p>\n

When is enough enough?<\/p>\n

The editorial about Portillo\u2019s prompted me to ask a question that I\u2019m pretty sure thousands of Americans have asked: Isn\u2019t there a point when you have enough money? Can you not just enjoy what you have?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not picking on Portillo\u2019s. I\u2019m asking corporate America this. Is there a point when you have taken care of your company and your family? You are proud of your product and update it if necessary. You are paying your employees a good wage and health care. You respect the environment and take care of the resources you use. Pay your fair share of taxes, realizing that they help you through roads and utilities.<\/p>\n

Is it possible to achieve this? I would like to think so.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Frank Chambers Jr., Chicago<\/p>\n

Cyclists bound by law<\/p>\n

Letter writer Lisa L. Smith (\u201cE-bike, e-scooter riders,\u201d<\/a> Oct. 25) evidently does not know that riders of regular bicycles are also supposed to follow the rules of the road. Seeing bicycle riders sail through red lights and stop signs and have no lights at night and such makes me wonder just how soon they will be hit.<\/p>\n

The other night, I saw three riders all in black and with no lights. They were almost invisible. They may be able to see, but they could not be seen.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Marie Stevens, Wilmette<\/p>\n

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here<\/a> or email letters@chicagotribune.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rents are rising in Chicago, but blaming zoning rules or construction slowdowns misses what\u2019s really going on. The…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":350227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,5386,1818,7281,1269],"class_list":{"0":"post-350226","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-illinois","11":"tag-letters-to-the-editor","12":"tag-opinion"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}