SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will deliver his State of the State address and share his vision for taxes and spending in government. That includes how to deal with the projected $2.2 billion budget gap and moves in Washington to hold back funding from states led by Democrats.
Pritzker will propose a statewide zoning law in his State of the State address on Wednesday, drastically limiting the authority local governments have to control what types of housing structures can be built on land that’s zoned residential.
Pritzker’s office says the measure will call for relaxed restrictions on the development of multi-unit housing, allowing homeowners to build “granny flats” and cutting other forms of red tape that have slowed homebuilding in recent years.
He’s also asking lawmakers to approve $250 million in capital funding for infrastructure grants aimed at knocking out “below ground costs” at sites eyed for residential development, programs to build out “middle” housing and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
Middle housing describes multi-unit buildings that fall between single-family homes and larger apartment complexes. They take various forms, such as two-flats, townhomes, fourplexes and courtyard buildings.
Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.