Dear Village Counsel of Winnetka,
I believe that there should be affordable housing in Winnetka and in most communities.
I believe this because if you are working in a community, you should have the opportunity to live in that community. This reasoning attracts stronger professionals and provides continuity of the workforce over a period of time. Trustee Kruck, from the counsel, states his opinion that Winnetka that “It’s the people. It’s the institutions and schools” Surely that is true for the workforce as well.
Gail Schechter, the executive director of Open Communities believes One Winnetka, a development in Winnetka, should include at least 15% of all units to be affordable under the IAHPA Act. She notes that when a community “accommodates a broad level of income, it is economically healthier” Clearly, as can be seen in the graph below Winnetka falls far short of the 10% affordable housing required by the states IAHPA Act.
It should be clear that affordable housing attracts working people often young who may have children. These are fine people who are potential consumers, volunteers, taxpayers, and contributors to our schools. According to PowerPoint: “One Winnetka Development and Affordable Housing” In our metropolitan area, people qualifying for affordable housing is as follows “$60,000 AMI-Owners, $45,000 AMI-Renters” These breadwinners bring diversity both socioeconomically and culturally. They will add to the rich fabric of our community.
Sincerely,
Cooper Fredricksen, New Trier High School senior