MOORE’S SUMMARY: A statewide survey commissioned by the Illinois REALTORS last month shows broad support for components of Gov. JB Pritzker’s Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD, plan. But the plan is susceptible to negative messaging surrounding the preemption of local control and additional density.

WHY IT MATTERS: The trade association for the state’s real estate industry held their annual lobby day in Springfield on Tuesday. On the top of their legislative agenda is BUILD, Pritzker’s comprehensive plan to address the state’s housing shortage.

The plan, among other provisions, would preempt local zoning laws by permitting multi-unit housing by right on most residentially zoned lots, legalize accessory dwelling units on all residentially zoned lots, expedite timelines for housing permit reviews and inspections and standardize “impact” fees. I first wrote about it in February: Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control

POLL RESULTS: The survey, conducted in mid-March by Texas-based The Decision Co., found that 85% of likely Illinois voters supported legalizing accessory dwelling units and 65% supported allowing the construction of “modest duplexes, triplexes, or four-unit homes on larger residential lots.” Less were familiar with the BUILD plan specifically, with 28% registering support and 13% opposition. When told more about the plan, those totals increased to 50% and 21%, respectively.

Nearly 60% polled said the issue of housing affordability should be one of the top priorities for legislators this year; 33% said it should be a mid-level priority. Only about 5% labeled it a low priority or not a priority.

However, there are some warning signs for supporters. When asked to identify up to three factors most responsible for high housing costs, the runaway winner was local property taxes at 63%. The next closest was investors buying up homes at 43%. Only 20% identified lack of housing construction, 15% local zoning restrictions and 13% red tape as major culprits driving up costs.

Those surveyed were more likely to support the plan when offered positive messaging around ADUs, increasing the supply of “starter” homes and allowing people to afford to stay in their communities.

But there are vulnerabilities. When told that the plan “could mean more crowding, more traffic, and more strain on parking and schools – without the funding to handle it,” 45% were less likely to support the plan versus 18% more likely to support it. And when told it’s a one-size-fits-all approach that’s “really a way for Springfield politicians to override local decisions,” 39% are less likely to support versus 21% who are more likely.

This could provide an opening for the Illinois Municipal League, which opposes BUILD over its broad preemption of local zoning control.

PRITZKER’S PUSH: Pritzker told real estate agents in Springfield on Tuesday that the problem the state faces is “a failure to create and build enough homes due in part to restrictive regulations in local jurisdictions.” And he pushed back on local criticism.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that this is some kind of radical removal of local zoning,” Pritzker said. “That is not what this is. It is literally about just adding a few more homes everywhere in the state. We’re not talking about putting a 100-unit building into a small, ranch-style housing area or neighborhood. That’s not what this is about.”

EDUCATION: Jeff Baker, the CEO of the Illinois REALTORS, told Capitol News Illinois that the group is currently focused on educating legislators and municipal leaders about the plan and to “confront some of the misrepresentation and misinformation that’s out there.”

“I think that there are some efforts underway to simply scare cities and municipalities into just saying no – efforts that suggest that the state is trying to take away all zoning authority for municipalities,” Davis said. “That’s not happening. So we need to push back on that message.”

Davis said there are other factors driving soaring housing prices, from the cost of building materials to high interest rates, but “that municipal side of it is nearly 50% of the cost when you factor in zoning approvals, permit timelines and approvals, impact fees, tap-on fees (and) municipal taxes.”

NOT MOVING YET: The BUILD plan hasn’t moved yet in either the House or Senate and isn’t expected to ahead of each chamber’s self-imposed deadlines to move bills across the rotunda. State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, the lead sponsor of the legislation in the House, confirmed that stakeholders are still negotiating.

SPEAKER SAYS: House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, who spoke to the Illinois REALTORS minutes before Pritzker, told the room that “you cannot solve a housing shortage without building more houses.” But he also said the concerns from local elected officials are “valid” and “deserve to be heard.”

 “We need a BUILD plan, yes, but we need a BUILD plan that works with communities, not around them,” Welch said. “We need a BUILD plan that respects local voices while also recognizing that this crisis is bigger than any one town, any one county and any one region.”