Affordable Development Plan Irks Some Residents

A 48-unit apartment development designed for families earning between $27,000 and $50,000 a year on the property of Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church on Deerfield Road is being proposed as a joint venture between the church, Brinshore Development LLC and the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation.

Set to be discussed by the village of Deerfield’s plan commission at a Thursday night conference, the plan calls for three 16-unit buildings that will include a total of 12 one-bedroom units, 24 two bedrooms and 12 three bedrooms, according to the Deerfield Review.

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In an apparent effort to increase affordable housing in the village, the plan is for potential tenants to have no more than 60 percent of the area’s average income and pay no more than 30 percent of their earnings for rent - meaning one-bedrooms will range from $675-835 a month, while two bedrooms would fit between $775 and $975 and three bedrooms at $900 to $1,250. Living quarters would range in size from 680 to 1,125 square feet.

But the plan is not sitting well with a number of Deerfield residents, some who say it will bring down the stability of the village.

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“They will not be as stable as people who already live here,” said Evelyn Lewis in the Review. “When people with lower income move in others will move out. That was my experience in Chicago and that was on the Gold Coast.”

As of May 7, of the 62 letters or emails sent to the village on the subject, 55 were opposed to the plan.

more via the Deerfield Review

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