Pritzker’s zoning push

Governor J.B. Pritzker is pushing Illinois to override local zoning rules and allow more small apartment buildings in neighborhoods now reserved for single homes. (chicagotribune.com) The proposal is part of Pritzker’s Building Up Illinois Developments plan, or BUILD, which he rolled out in his February 18, 2026 State of the State agenda and kept promoting at a March 24 roundtable in Bloomington-Normal. (capitolnewsillinois.com) (gov.illinois.gov) Under the plan, residential lots larger than 2,500 square feet could no longer be limited to one home, with bigger lots eligible for four, six, or eight units depending on size. The package also would legalize accessory dwelling units, such as backyard cottages and above-garage apartments, on residential property statewide. (capitolnewsillinois.com) (illinoishousing.org) Pritzker’s office has tied the zoning push to a statewide housing shortage, saying Illinois needs more than 225,000 homes over five years, while an Illinois Housing Development Authority program this spring used a similar estimate of more than 225,000 units. A 2024 executive order from Pritzker also said nearly one-third of Illinois households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing. (illinois.gov 1) (illinois.gov 2) The target is the “missing middle”: duplexes, triplexes, four-flats, and other small multifamily buildings that fit between a house and a large apartment block. Pritzker’s advisory committee said those homes have become harder to build because many local codes now favor detached single-family housing. (gov.illinois.gov) (better-cities.org) BUILD goes beyond density rules. Pritzker’s package would also set statewide timelines for permit reviews and inspections, let builders use third-party reviewers if towns miss deadlines, and standardize some local impact fees that can raise project costs. (illinoishousing.org) (capitolnewsillinois.com) The governor has paired those rule changes with money: reports on the plan say he wants about $250 million for missing-middle infrastructure grants, housing production programs, and down-payment help. Supporters including housing groups and Illinois Realtors have said the mix of zoning changes and subsidies could make smaller projects pencil out. (hoodline.com) (therealdeal.com) Local officials have pushed back, especially in suburbs that guard local control over land use. Opponents have said the state’s one-size-fits-all rules could strain sewers, schools, parking, and roads, and could change neighborhood layouts that city councils spent decades shaping. (therealdeal.com) (evanstonroundtable.com) The fight has been building since December 11, 2024, when Pritzker signed an executive order on housing development and created an advisory process around middle-income housing. By spring 2026, that process had turned into a direct test of whether Springfield can take zoning power away from cities and villages to force more homebuilding. (illinois.gov) (gov.illinois.gov) What happens next is in the General Assembly. If lawmakers back Pritzker, Illinois would join a growing list of states using statewide zoning rules to make it easier to build the kinds of four-flats and backyard units that many towns have spent years blocking. (smartcitiesdive.com) (realtor.com)