6-month apt. building ban approved for most of Waukegan

[fedupinwaukegan]

Thank goodness. I hope at the end of the six-months it is extended again. We have too many areas with a high concentration of run down apartment buildings.

Six-month apartment-building ban approved for most of Waukegan

By Ralph Zahorik | Special to the Tribune
December 6, 2008

Alarmed by the growing number of rental housing units in Waukegan, especially low-income units, aldermen voted this week to declare a six-month moratorium on new apartment construction.

The city has about 20,000 housing units and about 8,900 are apartments, said building commissioner John Jurkovac. :o

The latest big project, an affordable housing tax credit development off Delany Road approved a week ago by the council, will have 132 one- and two-bedroom apartments in six three-story buildings. The project is in Ald. Richard Larsen's 8th Ward. Larsen, who voted against the development, urged the moratorium, and he has been among those voicing concern about Waukegan and Zion getting more subsidized housing while other Lake County towns have little or none.

"You won't see this type of housing in Wadsworth or Lake Forest. … The burden falls on our taxpaying people, and it's patently unfair," Larsen said.

The moratorium takes effect immediately and, with some notable exceptions, bars all new apartment construction not yet approved. The major exception is the downtown and lakefront redevelopment area.

The city has created a tax increment financing district to lure apartment and condo developers to the blighted downtown and lakefront.

"We're getting inundated by applications for apartments [outside downtown]," Larsen said. "They're having an impact on our overcrowded schools and social services."

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[julia]

With the economy the way it is there will be a growing need for affordable housing. Like it or not, Alderman Larson and others need to face the fact that Waukegan IS a community of affordable housing. The apartments and renters are not going to go away. I also believe the money problems with the schools are not due to apartments and kids but rather poor management of the money they already have. Even if kids live in apartments, taxes are paid to the schools for those building. Waukegan schools also get taxes for the senior housing apartments and condos which have no kids living in them. Apartments are not the problem in Waukegan.

[Danno]

julia Wrote:With the economy the way it is there will be a growing need for affordable housing. Like it or not, Alderman Larson and others need to face the fact that Waukegan IS a community of affordable housing. The apartments and renters are not going to go away. I also believe the money problems with the schools are not due to apartments and kids but rather poor management of the money they already have. Even if kids live in apartments, taxes are paid to the schools for those building. Waukegan schools also get taxes for the senior housing apartments and condos which have no kids living in them. Apartments are not the problem in Waukegan.

In my neighborhood most of the single family owner occupied houses are the more well kept houses. It's the rentals that are usually an ugly mess... in both human and non-human qualities. With that said this moratorium is nothing but feel good crapola... nothing will change because of it. 6 months from now it's back to business as usual.

[fedupinwaukegan]

Any word on if they are going to renew this ban? There are so many empty homes.

[fedupinwaukegan]

Is the city going to renew this building ban? Only seems appropriate after reading what plans the mayor has.

Ask your alderman.