|
Isabel’s morning briefing
Tuesday, Jun 2, 2026 - Posted by Isabel Miller * ICYMI: Gov. JB Pritzker’s multiunit housing plans for Illinois stall in Springfield’s spring session. Tribune…
- Throughout the session, Pritzker’s proposals faced scrutiny from cities and towns whose leaders were deeply concerned about the idea of four- or six-flat buildings going up on quiet cul-de-sacs or accessory dwelling units in backyards statewide, as well as the broader prospect of giving up any local control on zoning. - Despite the housing package being presented in a year when Democrats have sought to prove they’re the party of affordability ahead of the November midterm elections, Pritzker indicated he didn’t see its failure as a political liability. The plan showed voters his priorities, he suggested, even if they couldn’t be enacted. * Related stories… * Gov. JB Pritzker has no public events scheduled today. * CNI: Schools to get funding increase, but less than some had urged: Illinois lawmakers passed a budget Monday morning that includes a full $350 million increase in Evidence-Based Funding for public schools, money earmarked specifically for the neediest school districts in the state. That includes a restoration of the $47 million for property tax relief grants called for in the formula that lawmakers passed in 2017 — a program that lawmakers paused in this year’s budget and that Gov. JB Pritzker had recommended not funding again in the upcoming fiscal year. * Sun-Times | New transit law takes effect as CTA, Metra, Pace enter new era: The retirement of the Regional Transportation Authority began Monday as its board was granted new powers by the landmark Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act, which took effect. The first act of the board — which will retain the RTA name until Sept. 1 when NITA board members are seated — was to buoy CTA, Metra and Pace with a quarter-percent sales tax increase. The RTA sales tax hike, which takes effect Aug. 1, increases public transit funding by $200 million this year and more than $500 million next year. It applies to the six-county area around Chicago. * Business Insider | A data center opponent was arrested after police said he threatened a local official: The Dixon Police Department said on Thursday that Delander was charged with two felonies, intimidation and stalking, after it received information about his communication with the former lawmaker. The department alleged that Delander “knowingly and willfully communicated threats and engaged in a course of conduct that caused concern for the safety of Demmer and his family.”In an interview with Business Insider, Delander said he started organizing a protest on Facebook on Wednesday that would take place near Demmer’s house, using an address he found on the internet. He also said he sent an email to the former representative asking him to recuse himself from his position, along with the wording “if you know what’s good for you and your family.” Business Insider did not review the email. * Sun-Times | Illinois lawmakers delay credit card swipe fee law: “For the second year in a row, Illinois lawmakers chose to protect the bottom line of big banks, credit card companies and payment processors over ensuring meaningful financial relief for consumers, neighborhood retailers, restaurants and bars,” Rob Karr, CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said in a statement. “At a time when lawmakers claim to be focused on improving affordability and supporting community businesses, this action stands in sharp contrast to their words,” Karr said. * Tribune | How the Chicago Bears’ stadium deal collapsed in Springfield — an echo of the 1988 White Sox drama: Based on interviews with negotiators, participants cited a factionalized Bears’ leadership structure that was naive to the political game and found itself undercutting any political progress as it sought to leverage more public funding support. Additionally, the late arrival of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in early May to Springfield created a distraction from negotiating a stadium deal for the Bears in Arlington Heights as Johnson insisted that the city’s previously rejected 2024 lakefront plan, south of the Soldier Field home that the Bears have used since 1971, be reintroduced to the talks. * Sun-Times | Housing program to give eligible Chicagoans up to $70,000 toward down payment: The program will launch June 8, and it’s expected to aid between 300 to 400 buyers, depending on the size of each grant awarded. […] The $21 million program is funded by Johnson’s $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond that was approved by the City Council in 2024. Durham said it’s a one-time funding effort for HomeGrown, but the city may revisit the program if it proves successful. * WTTW | CPD Officer Who Punched Teen in 2019 Incident Won’t Be Fired: Records: While Bryant committed misconduct during the incident, his actions were “not so egregious as to warrant separation,” Snelling told the head of the agency tasked with investigating police misconduct better known as COPA in an April 8, 2024, letter. While COPA leaders could have asked the Chicago Police Board to resolve the dispute over whether Bryant should be terminated or suspended for 25 days, Chief Administrator LaKenya White agreed to accept Snelling’s recommendation of discipline and close the probe on May 13, records show. * Daily Herald | After being rejected in Naperville, company could build data center in Hoffman Estates: Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod announced at his state of the village address in February 2025 that Florida-based Karis Critical had bought the property at Higgins Road and Route 59 with an interest in developing the village’s third data center campus. Now doing business as H.E. Holdings LLC, the property owner is currently only asking for a rezoning from the vacant site’s commercial mixed-use and traditional neighborhood classifications to manufacturing. * Crain’s | West Suburban remains in current CEO’s hands after ruling in legal fight over closed hospital: Patlola is the owner of the properties on which the Oak Park hospital and Weiss Memorial sit. As Prasad’s business partner, he also owns 40% of Resilience Healthcare, while Prasad owns the controlling 60%. Patlola is also seeking another healthcare entity to buy the Resilience business and permanently take over operations of one or both of hospitals. He has spoken with Insight Health, the management company that stepped in to buy Mercy Hospital in Bronzeville for $1 when it faced closure by Trinity Health in 2021. In the emergency ruling, Stanton said Patlola, and his property company Ramco, failed to meet the burden of proof on several claims it laid out against Resilience. * Daily Herald | Police investigating unauthorized financial activity in Des Plaines School District 62: Des Plaines police and a fraud team from the district’s bank is investigating. The investigation is in the “very early stages,“ police Cmdr. Matt Bowler said. The school board met in a closed-door session Friday night to discuss the issue. The board took no action in open session after that discussion, a district spokeswoman said. * Daily Herald | ‘Clearly a fumble’: Arlington Heights mayor calls out state lawmakers over lack of Bears deal: “Although we recognize that these discussions are complex and involve many stakeholders, this is clearly a fumble for the state of Illinois,” Tinaglia said in a written statement released by the village. “My commitment to the residents and businesses of Arlington Heights is unwavering, and we will continue to represent the interests of our community as future opportunities and next steps are considered.” In a follow-up interview, Tinaglia said, “The ball is squarely in the Bears’ hands” for what comes next. * Crain’s | Hawthorne Race Course property marketed as industrial redevelopment play: Hilco and Province are seeking a so-called going-concern buyer to revive the gambling operation, leveraging the track’s gaming and racing entitlements and the rights tied to a potential new casino development. While the horse-racing industry statewide has been dying for years, Hawthorne could provide a path for an investor looking to bet on the future of Illinois’ already massive gambling sector. But Hawthorne’s sprawling property may have more eager suitors from the commercial property sector. The site near Interstate 55 — one of the most sought-after corridors for years among warehouse developers — is “one of the largest infill development parcels remaining anywhere in the Chicagoland area,” Hilco said in a statement. The property is zoned today for heavy industrial uses. * WGLT | Bloomington residents put questions on data centers, grocery tax, international weapons to Nov. vote: A group of more than 100 City of Bloomington Township residents unanimously expressed their desire for a moratorium on large-scale data centers Monday night, and voted overwhelmingly to ask that Bloomington’s 1% grocery tax be repealed. The pair of issues — along with a measure to ban the transfer of weapons to a “dictatorship, apartheid state, or major violator of human rights” — were agenda items at a special township meeting. * WGLT | Normal council votes to ban sale or distribution of kratom: The ordinance, which was unanimously approved, will take effect July 15, giving retailers lead-in time. Violators will be subject to a fine of between $100 and $750 per day. The ordinance also allows the city manager to suspend or revoke a violator’s business license. The measure does not make possession of the substance against the law, a distinction noted by council member Karyn Smith.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 8:21 am:
==Faced with concerns about usurping local control of zoning issues related to housing, the governor’s office and its allies this weekend punted on the plans==
Oh well, I guess working class people like me don’t need houses.
- ZC - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 8:38 am:
I try and keep an open mind but right now I haven’t seen a convincing refutation of A City That Works, that Pritzker’s basically right here, and the IML and Republicans (and some left-wing urban progressives, in an unholy alliance) are wrong.
In particular, in that Tribune piece today, there’s no hint the IML has anything like a real proposal to fix the state’s growing housing shortage.
https://citythatworks.substack.com/p/local-governments-come-out-swinging
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:16 am:
===Oh well, I guess working class people like me don’t need houses. ===
You can have a house or some place to live, just somewhere else.
It’s fun how zoning went from a useful tool for development and to prevent folks from building a garbage dump next to a residential neighborhood to a mechanism that solidified a civic sense of “not my problem” and “I got mine” rather than anything noble.
They’re not saying you have to be homeless, they just expect you to be housed somewhere else. If you were homeless, though, they also expect you to be homeless somewhere else too — but they don’t use zoning for that.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:19 am:
Bummed that the housing bill didn’t pass and it didn’t feel like Pritzker tried that hard to pass it either.
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:20 am:
As a single man who doesn’t need much, I have been essentially shut out of the Chicago housing market. The only houses available are aging single family homes that are impossible to afford on a single, moderate, working class income.
I’m not asking for a huge mansion, or really any bells and whistles. I just want a break from yearly rent increases and to build a bit of equity.
My only options are aging houses that are at way too expensive or condos with HOA and sudden special assessments. Neither of these are viable options.
I like living in Illinois. I enjoy the safe, inclusive environment the Pritzker admin has created. I’ve never once complained about “taxes” or any of the other typical complaints about the state.
However, after attempting to buy a house and seeing the cost, I’ve seriously considered leaving Illinois. IMO, the housing issue is going to force people out of the state more than anything else.
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:22 am:
==You can have a house or some place to live, just somewhere else.==
And the way things are going, that “somewhere else” might be a different state.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:37 am:
I think I would have supported Pritzker’s plan but with a little skepticism. There are suburbs and neighborhoods in Chicago with abandoned housing or land. It cannot be entirely a housing supply problem because if we are being honest there are places with excess supply. I think there are more factors than just “it’s supply and demand guys.”
More to the point, when did “right” ever determine what the GA does? Don’t be a victim to a vocal minority. Be more vocal. That is how this lobbying stuff works.
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:52 am:
==You can LARP a Steinbeck novel if you like, but I think I’ll stay put.==
Huh? How is wanting affordable housing “LARPING a Steinbeck novel?”
- Johnny B - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 10:59 am:
The median house price in the US is $370K
significantly higher than the 34th ranked Illinois at $292K
MN - $358K
WI - $334K
PA- 286K
NE - 277K
MO- $264K
MI l- $259k
IN- 254K
KS- 242K
IA- 237K
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_median_home_price
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:14 am:
===However, after attempting to buy a house and seeing the cost,===
Try coming up to the Northwest Side. People are streaming in
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Northwest-Side_Chicago_IL/type-single-family-home/price-na-325000
- Joseph M - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:22 am:
Today, I received this email from my landlord: “Attached is your lease extension for your review. Unfortunately, there is an [$80] increase in your monthly rent due to everything going up in costs, especially property taxes and insurance.” It says something about the state of housing affordability that I’m glad it’s only an annual increase of $960.
Compare this to cities like Austin, where landlords are literally lowering rents so tenants don’t move out. The reason?
“Starting in 2015, Austin instituted an array of policy reforms aimed at encouraging the development of new housing, especially rentals. The city changed zoning regulations to allow construction of large apartment buildings, particularly near jobs and transit…Permitting processes were reformed to speed development and reduce costs.
The efforts worked. From 2015 to 2024, Austin added 120,000 units to its housing stock—an increase of 30%, more than three times the overall rate of growth in the United States (9%).
Rents fell. In December 2021, Austin’s median rent was $1,546, near its highest level ever and 15% higher than the U.S. median ($1,346). By January 2026, Austin’s median rent had fallen to $1,296, 4% lower than that of the U.S. overall ($1,353). This decline occurred even though the city population grew by 18,000 residents from 2022 to 2024.”
(https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2026/03/18/austins-surge-of-new-housing-construction-drove-down-rents)
So, to the Springfield leaders who chose not to pass the BUILD package: before you open that ‘thank you’ card from the IML, please ask any 20-30 year old relatives how much their rent went up this year. Then ask yourself if you’d rather live in a world with plenty of local control or plenty of housing options.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:36 am:
===Starting in 2015, Austin instituted an array of policy reforms===
That was a local action. Look to Chicago and other places for such a thing.
But the state of Texas also has a decent housing law. And you’d think that if that Republican state can do it, we could do it here. But no.
- Johnny B - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:43 am:
Over the past 3 years, 2 billion in property taxes have shifted from commercial to residential in Cook County, because of record vacancy rates downtown, raising taxes an average of 16.7% for homeowners and renters.
More than anything else, attracting companies to fill the office space will raise values downtown and shift the tax burden back to them.
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:52 am:
==Try coming up to the Northwest Side.==
Those are about the same unaffordable price as stuff I’ve seen in the suburbs.
- fs - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 11:56 am:
== And you’d think that if that Republican state can do it, we could do it here.==
Not just Texas. Indiana passed some reform legislation this year. The final version was watered down from the original bill that would’ve reigned in zoning much more…and was introduced by Indiana republicans.
== It’s fun how zoning went from a useful tool for development and to prevent folks from building a garbage dump next to a residential neighborhood to a mechanism that solidified a civic sense of “not my problem” and “I got mine” rather than anything noble.==
The expansion of the use of zoning to “protect the character of our community” took off in the mid 20th century. You can take a guess as to why.
- Duck Duck Goose - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:02 pm:
“Starting in 2015, Austin instituted an array of policy reforms aimed at encouraging the development of new housing, especially rentals.”
You left out the part where Austin issued a $250 million bond measure to subsidize housing construction. This gets to the heart of the matter. The root problem is that, between inflation and interest rates, housing is very expensive to build. Any serious plan will include development incentives. Anything less is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:49 pm:
=attracting companies to fill the office space attracting companies to fill the office space ==
I’m not sure if you remember but we had a thing called COVID that drove many people remote. And they are staying remote.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 12:54 pm:
===Those are about the same unaffordable price===
If 229K is unaffordable, then Chicago isn’t your problem https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/3350-N-Overhill-Ave_Chicago_IL_60634_M82583-25764?from=srp_next
- Former Downstater - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 1:18 pm:
==If 229K is unaffordable, then Chicago isn’t your problem==
I make nearly 2 times the minimum wage in Illinois. $229,000 is not doable on a single income with that salary.
And quite frankly, people like me don’t need single family homes. Multi-unit housing units would be perfect for people like me (things like duplexs), but they don’t presently exist in the Chicago area. Condos are not remotely the same thing.
Pritzker’s bill could have helped with that. But instead, here we are.
- Johnny B - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 1:32 pm:
Sorry but new construction will be much more expensive than existing inventory, unless you can secure a subsidized unit.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 1:39 pm:
===I make nearly 2 times the minimum wage in Illinois. $229,000 is not doable===
Yes, it is. The mortgage payment would be about 25 percent of your annual income.
Not to lecture you, but I sacrificed things when I bought my first home, as did everyone else I know.
- BE - Tuesday, Jun 2, 26 @ 2:20 pm:
==I’m not sure if you remember but we had a thing called COVID that drove many people remote. And they are staying remote.==
The nicer job places that went remote have stayed remote/hybrid.
A friend elsewhere was told that the entire company would be coming back to in-person before November or face being fired. They’ve been hybrid/wfh since Covid.
They’re probably going to lose at least two management from their section because those two live out of state.
Sneaky way to lay people off, if things have been going fine with productivity since Covid until now.