Hinsdale To Start Complying With Housing Law: Officials

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale is set to end at least a decade of failing to comply with a state law mandating affordable housing plans in towns with little such housing, officials indicated.

Hinsdale has missed the last two five-year periods to submit plans. The next deadline is June 14.

In its recent election questionnaire, Patch asked the four candidates for three Village Board seats whether the village should turn in a plan.

The three incumbents who are running as a slate – Matt Posthuma, Neale Byrnes and Michelle Fisher – submitted a nearly identical answer.

"The deadline to submit a plan under the Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act is June 2025," they said. "The Village intends to comply with that deadline."

Patch has been following this issue for nearly four years. In that time, Patch has contacted Village Manager Kathleen Gargano for comment, but she has not returned messages.

The fourth candidate, Carlos Aparicio, said following state law was important.

"I believe Hinsdale should take a thoughtful and community-driven approach to addressing this requirement," he said. "However, any plan must prioritize what’s best for Hinsdale residents: protecting property values, maintaining our village’s historic charm, and ensuring any decisions align with long-term fiscal responsibility."

He continued, "I support a data-driven, transparent process that includes meaningful input from residents to ensure that any approach balances state compliance with the needs and character of our community."

The median-valued house in Hinsdale is $1 million, according to the U.S. Census. That compares to $374,000 in DuPage County and $250,000 statewide.

Other towns, such as La Grange and Western Springs, have met the state requirement.

According to state reports, Hinsdale has less affordable housing than it did a decade ago. The reports state that 3.7 percent of Hinsdale's housing stock is deemed affordable, down from 4.2 percent in 2013. Neighboring towns have seen slight increases in that time.

Of more than 1,300 towns in Illinois, Hinsdale ranks as having the 24th lowest rate of affordable housing, reports indicate.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority is the agency that collects affordable housing plans.

In a 2015 interview with Pioneer Press, Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley said his town was in the process of updating its 2005 affordable housing plan, but blamed turnover in the village manager's position for preventing Hinsdale from meeting the state deadline.

However, turnover has not been an issue since September 2013, when the current manager, Gargano, took the helm.