On Jan. 12, 2009, Arlington Heights took the latest step on its path of leadership on housing issues in the region. This time, the village voted to pursue an interjurisdictional housing initiative, a promising strategy that brings towns together to tackle their shared housing challenges. After a recommendation from the Housing Committee, the Village Board voted unanimously to sign the letter of intent to be part of a workforce housing collaborative with neighboring Buffalo Grove, Palatine, and Rolling Meadows.
“The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Housing Committee meetings, which always showcase housing success stories in different towns, remind us how impractical it is to assume that all 270+ towns in our region can or should go it alone in terms of developing the range of needed housing policies, plans, programs, and developments,” explained Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder. “There are so many reasons for towns to proceed with this work together, not the least of which is the federal government’s increasing focus on promoting competitive regions. The support we’ve received from MPC and the Mayors Caucus – and the positive feedback this strategy has garnered from employers, developers and policymakers at the county, state and federal levels – reassure us that this workforce housing collaborative with neighboring towns has great potential.”
Such a collaboration can pool resources – administrative, financial, and land-based – to create and preserve housing options in the sub-region for a range of income levels. The hope is to maintain a balance of ownership and rental opportunities that meets the demands of the population, with a specific focus on the local workforce. The participating communities also are coordinating their outreach to employers to engage the private sector on the problem of workforce housing shortages and cultivate employer-assisted housing strategies.
Interjurisdictional collaboration offers a chance for communities to create economies of scale and achieve efficiencies as they tackle housing issues that do not adhere to municipal borders. Arlington Heights has taken the lead in supporting this new approach, but the interest is broader than this one community. The Village of Palatine will be voting on the interjurisdictional letter of intent in the near future, and MPC is eager to build on this momentum in the northwest suburbs.
If you would like more information about MPC’s interjurisdictional housing efforts, please contact Dominic Tocci at dtocci@metroplanning.org or (312) 863-6046.
Learn more about MPC’s recent interjurisdictional efforts.
Learn more about Arlington Heights’ leadership on housing issues.