Politics & Government
Granny Flats In Burr Ridge? Officials Eye Possibility
Other towns, including La Grange and Elmhurst, have passed up on the idea. Such housing is seen as affordable.
BURR RIDGE, IL – A Burr Ridge official plans to look at the possibility of allowing a type of housing that many see as more affordable.
Other towns have mulled the idea, but decided against it.
At a Village Board meeting Monday, Trustee Tony Schiappa said he wanted "accessory dwelling units," or ADUs, to be discussed by a village committee.
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Such homes are often referred to as granny flats or coach houses.
Accessory dwelling units come with a full kitchen and bathroom. They can be attached to a house or detached.
Find out what's happening in Burr Ridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I've talked to a couple of my neighbors interested in building those types of housing on their land," Schiappa said.
He said such homes would obviously be on larger lots.
Mayor Gary Grasso said the committee, which has been asked to create a long-term plan for development, could discuss accessory dwelling units.
"ADUs are kind of popular now, and I think they should at least be discussed," he said.
In the last couple of years, Elmhurst and La Grange looked at the possibility of allowing such units. But the idea went nowhere.
"I don't think they fit in the character of La Grange," La Grange Village President Mark Kuchler said in 2024. "It's not an aspiration of mine at all. I just don't see the majority of people in La Grange pushing for that."
Feelings in single-family neighborhoods about granny flats often resemble those toward apartments – keep them away.
Such views exist alongside a national housing crisis in which home prices are rising rapidly, shutting many out of the market.
Late last year, the median age for first-time home buyers reached 40, up from 33 five years ago, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The association said the share of all home purchases that involved first-time buyers dropped to 21 percent last year, the lowest on record since 1981.
As of 2024, the median home price in Burr Ridge was nearly $700,000, according to the U.S. Census.
The state reported in 2024 that 4.5 percent of Burr Ridge's housing stock was considered affordable, up from 2.2 percent in 2013.
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