One of Northbrook’s biggest challenges is engagement. Election turnout has been consistently low, and for the past 15 years, the Northbrook Caucus endorsed candidates winning—often without opposition. When one group controls leadership for that long, it naturally raises concerns about whether fresh perspectives and independent thinking are being stifled.
I have several topics lined up for future posts—sales tax growth, Northbrook Court, Green Acres, village facilities, zoning codes, and digital water meters—all areas where I believe more transparency is needed. However, today I’m focusing on a topic dominating recent campaign discussions: affordable housing in Northbrook. It’s a subject that has generated a lot of conversation, with varying narratives that often feel incomplete.
If you, like me, want a stronger foundation on the issue, I highly recommend reviewing Northbrook’s official Affordable Housing Plan: ��https://www.northbrook.il.us/.../2020-Affordable-Housing...
I want to be absolutely clear: I strongly support affordable housing in Northbrook. A thriving community should offer housing options for people at different income levels, including seniors looking to downsize, young professionals starting out, and those who work in our village and want to live here. I applaud the village’s recognition of this need and its willingness to act.
My frustration with the discussion isn’t about whether we should have affordable housing—we should. It’s about the lack of focus on results, the dismissal of alternative ideas, and the tendency to treat process as progress. Plans and policies mean little if they don’t translate into real outcomes.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NORTHBROOK Northbrook has long acknowledged the importance of fair and affordable housing. In 1968, the village was among the first northern suburbs to adopt a fair real estate practices ordinance, signaling an early commitment to housing equity. In the early 1980s, Northbrook took a more proactive approach, issuing bonds to finance and establish Crestwood Place, an affordable housing complex for seniors repurposed from a former public school building. Owned and operated by the village, Crestwood Place provides 117 rental apartments, including studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units.
In 2005, following the passage of the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act (AHPAA) in 2003, Northbrook adopted its first Affordable Housing Plan. At the time, 5.3% of the village’s housing stock was classified as affordable, and Northbrook needed 576 additional units to meet the state’s 10% affordability benchmark. However, as a home-rule municipality, Northbrook was not legally required to comply with AHPAA but chose to voluntarily create a plan.
In 2019, the Board of Trustees commissioned a report titled "Affordable Housing Options for the Village of Northbrook," which explored ways to expand affordable housing. The report identified several potential strategies, including: �� Inclusionary Zoning – Requiring developers to set aside a percentage of units as affordable. 📷 Demolition Tax – Generating revenue for affordable housing programs by taxing home demolitions.
In 2020, Northbrook amended its Affordable Housing Plan and formally enacted these policies: �� Inclusionary Housing Ordinance – Mandating that 15% of new residential units in developments of five or more units must be designated as affordable. 📷 For rental developments, affordable units must be available to households earning 60% or less of the area median income (AMI). 📷 For for-sale developments, affordable units must be available to households earning 80% or less of the AMI. 📷 In some cases, developers may opt to pay a fee in lieu of building affordable units, with those funds directed toward local housing initiatives such as community land trusts or housing assistance programs. 📷 Demolition Tax – Creating a dedicated funding stream for local housing programs by taxing home demolitions.
CAMPAIGN DISCOURSE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING This week, Josh Kaplan, candidate for Village President, released a video from Wheeling Town Center to highlight how development is happening in neighboring communities while remaining stalled in Northbrook. In the video, he suggested that Northbrook’s 15% affordable housing requirement is a factor contributing to the village’s struggles to attract developers.
Kaplan later posted about Northbrook Court, stating: "I understand that there are macroeconomic issues that are impediments to the project moving forward. However, there are impediments that our village DOES control, which are barriers as well. Northbrook’s affordable housing requirements is the biggest of those impediments, which our board does control."
This statement quickly drew a response from the Northbrook Caucus, who pushed back with a post of their own (https://www.facebook.com/share/1BDC8QF1Zv/). Below is the full text of their response, along with the content from the graphic they shared. I have included screenshots at the bottom of this if you wish to see the post in its original form.
NORTHBROOK CAUCUS POST "The shortage of affordable housing in Northbrook—and similar communities across the country—is a nationwide challenge. Currently, only 5% of Northbrook’s housing qualifies as affordable. Illinois law requires municipalities with less than 10% affordable housing to develop a plan to increase their affordable housing stock. Recently, our opponents suggested that weakening and/or eliminating Northbrook’s affordable housing ordinance would somehow create more affordable housing—an idea that defies logic. They pointed to Wheeling, which doesn’t have an ordinance, as an example, but Wheeling already has nearly 50% affordable housing. Meanwhile, before Northbrook’s ordinance was enacted, no affordable housing was being built here. Thanks to our policy, we now have 55 affordable units in development. Northbrook’s award-winning approach, modeled after Highland Park’s long-standing plan, ensures that affordable housing is integrated throughout the Village. It requires new developments to allocate 15% of their units as affordable. Additionally, in specific cases, developers can contribute fees instead of building the units. The Village is now using some of these funds to establish community land trusts, ensuring smaller homes remain affordable—just as Highland Park has successfully done with guidance from Community Partners for Affordable Housing. The future of affordable housing in Northbrook is at stake in the April 1 election. Your vote matters. Experience matters. Vote for the Northbrook Caucus Candidates."
GRAPHIC - DID YOU KNOW? AFFORDABLE HOUSING EDITION �� Illinois law requires all municipalities with less than 10% affordable housing to implement an affordable housing plan by June 2025. 📷 Northbrook passed an Affordable Housing Plan in December 2020. 📷 Northbrook currently has 5% affordable housing, with 55 new units on the way. 📷 Northbrook’s Affordable Housing Plan was awarded the Emerging Municipality Award by Open Communities.
ANALYSIS OF THE NORTHBROOK CAUCUS POST To me, the TL;DR of this post is: "Northbrook is doing what’s legally required to do with a looming deadline, has a plan in place, is making progress with 55 new units, and has been recognized for its efforts—so concerns about affordable housing are misplaced."
This conclusion is problematic because it frames affordable housing as a solved issue rather than an ongoing challenge. The post isn’t meant to invite discussion—it’s designed to shut it down. Instead of acknowledging legitimate concerns about Northbrook’s struggles with development and affordable housing, it reinforces a defensive narrative that discourages meaningful debate.
Worse, painting opponents of the Caucus plan as anti-affordable housing is intellectually dishonest and disappointing. Questioning whether a policy is effective is not the same as opposing its goal.
A real discussion should focus on what works, what doesn’t, and how we can actually make progress—not dismissing differing perspectives as opposition.
Let’s dig deeper. The post makes several claims that warrant closer examination. Below is an analysis of each statement, with context and supporting information.
Claim: “Illinois law requires municipalities with less than 10% affordable housing to develop a plan to increase their affordable housing stock.” �� The Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act (AHPAA) mandates that non-exempt municipalities with less than 10% affordable housing must create a plan. 📷 Northbrook is a home rule municipality, meaning the village is not legally bound by AHPAA and voluntarily created its Affordable Housing Plan. 📷 The post suggests a legal obligation with a looming deadline, but Northbrook’s compliance is a choice, not a mandate under state law.
Claim: “Recently, our opponents suggested that weakening and/or eliminating Northbrook’s affordable housing ordinance would somehow create more affordable housing—an idea that defies logic. They pointed to Wheeling, which doesn’t have an ordinance, as an example, but Wheeling already has nearly 50% affordable housing.” �� The post references two previous statements made by Josh Kaplan’s campaign: �� https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18DtsoocS5/ 📷 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15u3kev1dr/ 📷 The intent of those posts was not to eliminate affordable housing policies, but rather to question whether Northbrook’s current ordinance (which is stricter than surrounding communities) is discouraging development. 📷 Wheeling’s example is relevant not because of its current affordable housing percentage, but because it has successfully attracted large-scale development, while Northbrook has struggled to do so. 📷 While the goal of requiring 15% affordable housing is understandable, it creates an economic disincentive when compared to neighboring communities with lower or more flexible requirements. Developers have choices, and if Northbrook’s affordability mandate makes projects less viable financially, they will build elsewhere—resulting in no new housing at all, affordable or otherwise. Fifteen percent of zero is still zero.
Claim: “Before Northbrook’s ordinance was enacted, no affordable housing was being built here.” �� Factually incorrect. 📷 Crestwood Place (117 affordable senior housing units) was developed by the Village of Northbrook before the ordinance existed. 📷 The Lodge of Northbrook (senior living) was approved with affordability requirements before the 2020 plan. 📷 Northbrook has had affordable housing policies dating back to 2005, well before the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance was introduced. 📷 The 2020 Affordable Housing Plan Amendment itself acknowledges that previous affordable housing efforts existed.
�� Claim: “Thanks to our policy, we now have 55 affordable units in development.” 📷 Partially true but overstates the impact. 📷 The specific projects making up these 55 units are unclear, but at least some are likely part of Poupard Place (48 units). 📷 https://hodc.org/hodcs-poupard-place-moves-forward/ 📷 This project has not yet broken ground but is expected to start construction this spring. 📷 There are reasonable concerns about the certainty of this project moving forward, as documented here: 📷 https://www.facebook.com/share/1C9Hr8J64W/
Claim: “Northbrook’s award-winning approach, modeled after Highland Park’s long-standing plan, ensures that affordable housing is integrated throughout the Village.” �� This is an exaggeration with selective framing. 📷 Open Communities is a nonprofit organization that advocates for fair housing in the northern suburbs. 📷 The Emerging Municipality Award is a recognition, not an official state award or a measure of success. 📷 Northbrook’s approach is only partially modeled after Highland Park—Highland Park has stricter mandates, more aggressive affordability strategies, and a long-established community land trust. 📷 The 2020 Affordable Housing Plan notes that Northbrook’s development patterns are overwhelmingly single-family homes, which creates structural barriers to integrating affordable housing as seamlessly as Highland Park. 📷 Recognition does not equal effectiveness—an award acknowledges effort, but it does not confirm that the policy has achieved meaningful results.
Claim: “The future of affordable housing in Northbrook is at stake in the April 1 election. Your vote matters. Experience matters. Vote for the Northbrook Caucus Candidates.” �� This is an election-driven statement rather than an objective claim. 📷 Northbrook Focused candidates have not opposed affordable housing but have raised concerns about the lack of development in Northbrook overall, citing the 15% requirement as a barrier. 📷 The Caucus’ framing suggests that only their candidates support affordable housing, which is misleading. 📷 Instead of engaging in a broader discussion about why development isn’t happening, the post doubles down on the current approach.
FINAL ASSESSMENT The post selectively presents information to frame the Caucus as the sole champion of affordable housing while dismissing opposing viewpoints without serious engagement. Northbrook has taken some steps—55 units are reportedly in development—but having policies in place is not the same as achieving meaningful results, and the post does not talk about the results achieved by the policy.
This issue has been a long-term challenge in Northbrook, with multiple plans and strategies attempted over the years. The Caucus post implies that the future of affordable housing depends on their election this year, but a fair question is: Have the current policies worked?
The numbers tell the story: �� 2005: Northbrook adopts its first Affordable Housing Plan, acknowledging that only 5.3% of its housing stock was affordable and that 576 more units were needed to reach the 10% goal set by Illinois. 📷 2013: The percentage of affordable housing in Northbrook drops to 4.4%, per IHDA data. 📷 2018: Affordable housing rises slightly to 5.7%, but still far from the 10% goal. 📷 2020: Northbrook updates its plan, introducing inclusionary zoning (the 15% requirement for new developments). 📷 2024: The post claims Northbrook is still at 5% affordable housing, with 55 units in development, but actual growth has been minimal. (Note that I have seen some reports at 5.2% which, while better, is still down overall).
Instead of acknowledging these lackluster results, the Caucus has chosen to frame the discussion as if the current policies are working, when the data suggests otherwise.
The problem isn’t just affordable housing policy—it’s Northbrook’s overall approach to development, which has left the village struggling to attract investment while neighboring communities continue to grow.
CONCLUSION The policies Northbrook has put in place—such as inclusionary zoning and the demolition tax—are well-intentioned efforts to move us in the right direction.
But after nearly 20 years of planning and five years since the most recent Affordable Housing Plan amendment, the results speak for themselves. Despite the 2020 plan and its inclusionary housing ordinance, affordable housing in Northbrook remains stagnant. The percentage of affordable housing is lower today than it was in 2005.
The 2020 plan was supposed to be a turning point, yet here we are in 2025, still sitting at 5% affordable housing, with only 55 new units in development—most of which have yet to break ground. Meanwhile, other communities have found ways to balance affordability with real economic growth, attracting new housing while increasing their stock of affordable units.
This is not about whether affordable housing should exist in Northbrook—it should, and I will always support that. This is about whether the current approach is actually working. And if the past two decades—including the past five years—are any indication, the answer is no. The 2020 Affordable Housing Plan did not accelerate affordable housing development in a meaningful way. Instead, Northbrook continues to struggle to attract new housing, and as a result, affordability remains a talking point rather than a reality.
The most frustrating part of this conversation is not just the lack of results, but the refusal to acknowledge the shortcomings of the existing plan. Rather than evaluating whether the current policies are truly effective, the Caucus has remained firm in defending the status quo. But if our goal is meaningful progress, shouldn’t we be open to re-examining our approach?
Simply stating that we support affordable housing is not enough. We need a plan that delivers results, not just words.
I believe Northbrook can do better. But that depends on whether we’re willing to have an open conversation about what’s working and what’s not.
EPILOGUE - UPDATE THE DAY AFTER THIS POST WAS PUBLISHED
Yesterday, I posted about Affordable Housing in Northbrook (above). Today, the Northbrook Caucus made a clarifying post ("Fact Check Friday") that seemed aimed at one of the points I (apparently incorrectly) made. You can see their full post on their page or screenshots at the bottom of this post. My post—along with others—is publicly available to all on my page.
I genuinely appreciate the Northbrook Caucus' stated commitment to fact-checking. The sudden revival of "Fact Check Friday"—twice in one day, after years of dormancy—tells us something important: elections bring scrutiny, and scrutiny brings discomfort. But scrutiny, if done right, should bring accountability, not just rebuttals.
In my previous post, I analyzed the state of affordable housing in Northbrook based on publicly available information—including the village’s own published assessment that Northbrook was not subject to the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act (AHPAA). That document is available here: https://www.northbrook.il.us/.../2020-Affordable-Housing...
I readily admitted that I did not have all the legal nuances at my fingertips, and I appreciate the Caucus for bringing clarity to at least one technical point: �� Northbrook’s Home Rule status does not exempt it from the Illinois Affordable Housing Planning and Appeals Act (AHPAA).
The sources they provided confirming this include: �� 2023 Non-Exempt Local Government Handbook: https://www.ihda.org/.../04/2023-AHPAA-NELG-Handbook.pdf 📷 Affordable Housing Planning and Appeal Act (AHPAA): https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp...
That’s an important clarification. I was incorrect on this point, and I appreciate the correction. This discussion has made me more informed, and I hope others who read this update find it equally valuable.
While I am not suggesting that the Caucus' post was aimed at me (if they did read my posts, I would hope they would have revived "Fact Check Friday" much sooner, as I am sure I don’t have everything correct), I take no issue with being corrected on a factual point. I welcome the engagement—that is, after all, the entire reason I am spending the time I am spending on this.
But this "fact check" raises a far more uncomfortable question—one that "Fact Check Friday" ignored entirely.
If Northbrook must have an Affordable Housing Plan under state law… …then why, after nearly 20 years of planning (and 5 years after the latest revision and 4 years after the clarification that this is the law), is our affordable housing percentage still hovering around 5%—the same level as in 2005?
If the Caucus’ intent is to ensure the public has “accurate facts,” why fact-check the single least relevant point while ignoring the core issue: The lack of meaningful progress on affordable housing in Northbrook.
The Caucus' decision to resurrect "Fact Check Friday"—a framework that feels more like an election-year tool than an open dialogue—suggests they see themselves as the sole arbiters of truth in Northbrook. But selective fact-checking is not the same as transparency. When only one minor point is examined while the real issue is sidestepped, that’s not a commitment to truth—it’s an attempt to control the conversation.
Here’s what "Fact Check Friday" did not address:
- Why has Northbrook’s affordable housing percentage remained stagnant since 2005, despite two decades of policies, plans, and new regulations?
- Why is Northbrook still nowhere near the 10% threshold that AHPAA outlines as the state’s goal?
- Why have our affordable housing policies not led to significantly more units being built, when neighboring communities have attracted more development?
- If Northbrook’s 15% affordability mandate is working, why have we not seen meaningful increases in affordable housing stock?
Instead of addressing any of these questions, the Caucus framed their entire response around debunking a procedural misconception—without engaging with the effectiveness of the policies themselves.
The real issue isn’t whether Northbrook is required to have an Affordable Housing Plan—the issue is that the plan isn’t producing results. If anything, the belief that our plan was voluntary at least provided an excuse for our lack of progress. Now that we know it’s a state mandate, the failure to move beyond 5% affordable housing over two decades is even harder to justify.
I am not suggesting that I have all the answers. Nor am I attacking anyone personally. But if the Caucus truly wants to inform the public, then let’s elevate the discussion.
�� Let’s acknowledge that plans, policies, and ordinances mean little without tangible results. 📷 Let’s be willing to ask hard questions about why, after all these years, affordable housing in Northbrook remains stagnant. 📷 Let’s avoid dismissing valid concerns as “misinformation” and instead engage in a substantive conversation about what is working—and what isn’t.
I’m not running for office, and I don’t pretend to have all (or even most) of the answers. But I am willing to ask questions. I am fine being fact-checked, and I am fine being wrong—what I am not fine with is a community discourse that stops at slogans rather than solutions.
If the Caucus wants to be the voice of truth in Northbrook, then let’s move past selective fact-checks and have an honest conversation. After years of attention on this issue, why has Northbrook’s affordable housing percentage declined rather than improved? If the existing plan has not produced results, why should we believe that continuing the same approach will suddenly lead to meaningful change now?