Elmhurst Affordable Housing Up By Bit

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst has 103 more affordable housing units than it did a decade ago, according to state figures.

Last year, Elmhurst had 1,550 affordable housing units out of a total of 16,475 units, according to a statewide report. That works out to 9.4 percent, up from 9.3 percent in 2013.

Elmhurst has nearly 1,000 more total units than it did a decade ago.

Of more than 1,300 towns in Illinois, Elmhurst ranks as the 47th least affordable for housing, the state report said. As of 2022, the median price for an Elmhurst housing unit was $517,000.

To determine affordable housing rates, the state calculates the number of owner-occupied units that are affordable to households with incomes less than 80 percent of a metro area's median. The threshold is less than 60 percent for rental units.

State law requires towns with low affordable housing rates to turn in plans to increase less costly housing stock. Elmhurst has never turned in such a document. It says it is not required to do so because it is home rule.

Home rule status is the reason given by at least a half dozen other towns that have failed to submit plans: Lake Bluff, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Northfield, Wilmette and Winnetka.

The state housing authority says the 2003 state law governing the process never addressed home rule. No attorney general's opinion has ever been sought in the matter.

Whatever the case, it's no secret Elmhurst lacks affordable housing. In his State of the City address earlier this month, Mayor Scott Levin addressed the issue.

"A lot of people say, 'I hope my kids will move here. They can't afford it.' We have people who want to downsize. There aren't a whole lot of ranches out there that you can downsize and pay $300,000 for," the mayor said. "I think we're going to be the biggest boon for Villa Park because that's where people wind up, being next door to Elmhurst."

Villa Park's median-priced house is 293,400, while DuPage County's is $361,700, according to the U.S. Census.

Here are the percentages of affordable housing in selected towns over the last decade:

Here are the numbers of affordable housing units out of the total units in selected towns over the last decade:

n.a.: not available

Source: Illinois Housing Development Authority