Apartments Near Houses? Burr Ridge Likely To Say No

BURR RIDGE, IL – If you are looking for affordable housing, Burr Ridge is likely not the town for you.

The median housing unit in Burr Ridge is valued at $700,000, according to the U.S. Census.

As of 2024, 4.5 percent of the village's housing was considered affordable by state standards.

On Monday, the Village Board plans to vote on a resolution opposing state legislation, known as the BUILD Act, that would reduce municipal authority over zoning.

The idea, backed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, is to increase the supply of housing, so as to reduce costs.

Under the legislation, developers would have the right to build residential complexes of up to eight units on many lots – in many cases, next to houses.

Burr Ridge is preparing to join many other suburbs in the fight to preserve the sanctity of single-family neighborhoods.

Over the last century, many Americans escaped crowded cities for suburbs, where houses with lawns are the norm. Suburbanites have historically resisted any proposals for apartments and condos near their homes.

In recent years, existing homeowners have enjoyed the surge in their home values. But the rising values often price out young families and older residents, particularly in wealthy towns such as Burr Ridge.

Nationwide, the median age of first-time home buyers has hit 40.

In recent weeks, Elmhurst's mayor called the state bill "radical" and "dangerous." And La Grange's attorney said towns would lose almost all of their powers over many residential developments.

Just this week, Darien's mayor came out against the legislation.

Burr Ridge's proposed resolution states, "(T)he Village disagrees with the premise set forth in Governor Pritzker's BUILD initiative that municipal authority over housing development is causing a crisis in housing affordability and a bottleneck of said development."

It continues, "(H)ousing is best developed when managed by those who have the best understanding of the locality in which proposed housing will be located."

The resolution came at the request of Mayor Gary Grasso and trustees Guy Franzese and Tony Schiappa, according to a village memo.