The city’s efforts to hash out a list of incentives to encourage companies to add affordable housing to residential developments will continue after the Naperville City Council this week tabled discussion of suggestions made by its consultant.

SB Friedman has been working on possible breaks that could be given to developers who voluntarily include affordable units in their projects. Among them are such things as variances in yard sizes and setback distances, floor area ratios, parking spots, building height, exterior wall construction materials, open space and park impact fees.

The council gave city staff another six weeks to get to a “sweet spot” and make the program more palatable.

Mayor Steve Chirico said SB Friedman did exactly what the council asked in developing a list of incentives but it needs refining.

“I think that what they’ve assembled is a little rich for my blood. … I’m not there on this particular proposal, but I can get there,” he said.

At its Tuesday meeting, the council was given three options to consider:

• Concur with the incentive program submitted and have staff prepare an ordinance for review;
• Authorize additional money for SB Friedman to come up with an alternative plan;
• Forgo the incentives and have staff focus on other affordable housing goals, such as selling city-owned vacant land, preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, and creating a revolving rehabilitation loan program for low-income seniors.

Chirico and several council members said they want assurances in the program parameters that multifamily housing cannot be built “by right” in an area zoned for single-family homes if a developer buys up several lots and demolishes the existing homes there.

Councilman Patrick Kelly said he’d like city staff to work with officials from Naperville Park District to reach a compromise on park land requirements that could be affected by the incentives.

Executive Director Brad Wilson has said the park district would prefer to negotiate developer deals on a case-by-case basis rather than being forced to agree to a change simply because the developer is offering to build some affordable housing units.

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