Dear Winnetka Village Council,
With the new apartment complex, One Winnetka, going up I have heard some concerns of the affordable housing issue. I for one believe that affordable housing is a great thing to have, however I believe that making Trandell sell 15% of his apartments, as Gail Schechter asked “Include at least 15% of all units as affordable under the definition of the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal act”, is a very inappropriate and naive thing to ask. Just because you guys failed to make sure that the City of Winnetka failed to follow the 10% of affordable housing requirement, does not mean that you should force it upon developers to clean up your mess.
As you can see Winnetka is at about 2.5% affordable when the minimum requirement is 10%. If you are to make a developer sell his apartments at a certain rate you should have that be made clear the first time the building is proposed. “... Such housing meets a major community need in Winnetka.” (Gaile Schechter). It has been made very clear that the affordable housing in Winnetka is falling short of what it should be by many sources. This is an issue that must be brought to debate in a village meeting and not shoved upon developers to fix.
Feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns.
Luke Parks
1234-567-8910