Village board approves modified site plan for 5202–5250 Old Orchard Road; debate resumes over fee-in-lieu vs. on-site affordable housing

On March 2, the Skokie village board approved on second reading a modified site plan for a mixed-use development at 5202–5250 Old Orchard Road. The vote was recorded by roll call as unanimous.

Public comment urged the board to require on-site affordable rental units instead of allowing the developer to pay a fee in lieu. Shelley Pat, who identified herself as a longtime Skokie resident and affordable-housing advocate, criticized the village's inclusionary-zoning ordinance passed in 2024, saying it permits developers to choose fees rather than provide below-market units and thus undermines affordable housing creation.

Trustee Shakar (who said she supports on-site affordable housing) and Trustee Robinson explained why they supported the fee-in-lieu in this case. Trustees noted that when the developer first engaged the village there was not an applicable ordinance and that the unit-mix and proposed pricing had technical features — including proposed affordability tied to higher income bands — that affected whether required units would be meaningfully below market.

The clerk called the roll for the motion to approve the site-plan modification. The board recorded ‘I’ votes from Trustee Lisa Levy, Trustee Pierce Sloven, Trustee Shakar, Trustee Kimani Levy, Trustee Robinson, and Trustee Iverson. The motion passed.

Trustees and staff said the vote does not preclude revisiting the village’s inclusionary zoning rules. Multiple speakers urged the board to amend the ordinance adopted in 2024 to require on-site affordable units and to change fee-in-lieu default practices.

Quote: “As long as the fee-in-lieu option exists, there is no reason to expect a developer to actually create those affordable units,” Shelley Pat said.

Ending: The village board approved the site-plan modification; trustees and public speakers signalled intent to revisit the inclusionary zoning ordinance in future meetings.