Little Hope For Hinsdale Affordable Housing: Plan

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale's proposed affordable housing plan indicates the village has little hope for low-cost housing, given the rise in property values over the years.

On Tuesday, the Village Board is set to vote on a five-year affordable housing plan. Such a document is required for non-home rule towns where such housing makes up less than 10 percent of the stock. The deadline is June 14.

Hinsdale has not produced such a plan since 2005, despite the state's requirement that it do so every five years.

In its proposed plan, the village says it has not done so because it considered itself an "exempt town," meaning it did not have to submit one. Exempt towns are those where more than 10 percent of housing is considered affordable.

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. Its neighbors 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 median-valued house in Hinsdale is valued at $1 million, according to the U.S. Census.

The plan states that a diversity of housing opportunities enhances Hinsdale's sense of community.

"However, maintaining diversity has become increasingly difficult as market forces have driven housing and land values upward in Hinsdale and throughout the region," the plan said. "Additionally, available land for new development in Hinsdale is virtually nonexistent and limits possible areas to construct new affordable housing units."

Now, only limited areas of Hinsdale have multifamily housing development, which are mainly south of 55th Street and downtown, according to the village.

From 2018 to 2024, the village approved 277 permits for the building of single-family homes, most of them replacing older ones. Under the village's definition, that category includes duplexes and townhomes.

During the same time, Hinsdale issued no permits for multifamily housing.

To incentivize affordable housing, the village said it could reduce water bills and fees for building permits or zoning applications for such units. It said it could also help businesses with employer-assisted housing. These suggestions were also in the 2005 plan.

In a 2015 interview with Pioneer Press, Hinsdale Village President Tom Cauley said the 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, Kathleen Gargano, took the helm. Gargano has not returned messages for comment on the issue over the last few years.