Housing & Abundance
Springfield Starts to Move on BUILD
The week after Governor Pritzker unveiled his Building Up Illinois Developments (BUILD) plan in his February 18 State of the State address, the legislation is beginning to take shape. House Bill 5626, filed by state Rep. Kam Buckner, picked up Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth as a Chief Co-Sponsor on February 25 — a signal that Democratic leadership is coordinating around the package.
The bill's marquee provisions: legalizing ADUs statewide in residential zones, banning parking minimums for smaller homes and affordable housing (effective January 1, 2027), allowing third-party plan reviewers when municipalities miss permitting deadlines, and enabling single-stairway residential buildings up to certain heights. The package comes backed by $250 million in funding for site prep, middle housing development, and first-time homebuyer assistance.
The Illinois Municipal League has formally designated HB 5626 a Key Bill and Mandate Bill in opposition, with CEO Brad Cole warning it removes local land-use authority. Advocates at Housing Action Illinois support it.
The Chicago Tribune editorial board weighed in on February 26 in favor of the measure, calling the third-party review and parking minimum provisions "an excellent blueprint for local reforms" that "smart leaders would be wise to adopt voluntarily and preemptively." The editors flagged property taxes as a caveat but otherwise praised the plan. Illinois is roughly 142,000 housing units short and would need to nearly double its annual homebuilding pace to catch up.
ADU Countdown: 30 Days
A reminder: Chicago's citywide ADU ordinance takes effect April 1, expanding eligible areas for coach houses and conversion units by approximately 135 percent. The five original pilot neighborhoods will become the foundation of a new citywide program that covers all multifamily zones and alderman-opted-in single-family zones. Building permit applications open the same day. Questions: adu@cityofchicago.org.
Lead
Acceleration Season
Chicago has a $325 million federal WIFIA loan for lead service line replacement that expires in 2027, and only $70–90 million of it has been spent so far. The math is daunting: the city needs to replace 10,000 lines in 2026 at an estimated cost of $300 million, then 15,000 in 2027 and 19,000 in 2028 to meet federal mandates.
City officials have pledged to accelerate spending in 2026. Encouragingly, Mayor Johnson secured new federal earmarks in February that will advance investments in lead service line replacement alongside housing, transit, and homelessness services. On the other hand, the Trump administration's attempt to cut CDC lead poisoning prevention grants to Illinois remains temporarily blocked by a federal judge, meaning the acceleration must happen without the public health workforce that would normally track lead's impact on children.
Residents can request a free lead test by calling 311 or visiting chicagowaterquality.org. Homeowners meeting income requirements (below 80% AMI) may qualify for a free full replacement — a $16,000–$30,000 value.
Bikes
Northwest Side: Mark Your Calendar for March 5
The Chicago Department of Transportation is holding a community open house on Thursday, March 5, 6–7 p.m., at Portage Park Senior Center (4001 N. Long Ave.) to discuss the proposed Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network.
The proposal includes three new bike lanes — along Central Avenue (Addison to Lawrence), Laramie Avenue (Addison to Sunnyside), and Montrose Avenue (Narragansett to Central) — plus five neighborhood greenways with traffic-calming measures. The lanes would fall primarily in the 30th, 38th, and 45th wards. Notably, no barrier-protected lanes are planned — a design choice that will likely draw comparisons to Archer Avenue.
Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th) says he is reserving judgment until after the meeting. A public survey runs through March 15. If the Archer Avenue experience taught us anything, showing up matters.
Archer Avenue: The "No, I'm Not" Heard Round the Ward
A February 26 Streetsblog Chicago report added an eyebrow-raising footnote to Claudia Zuno's aldermanic candidacy: when a Streetsblog reporter asked her in December 2025 if she was considering running for office, she said "No I'm not." Two months later, she announced her campaign against Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) with a pledge to remove the Archer bike lane barriers on day one.
The 12th Ward race won't be decided until February 2027, but it's already shaping up as the most watched bike infrastructure fight in recent Chicago memory. The safety case for Archer remains stark: 6,439 crashes, 1,426 injuries, and 14 deaths from 2019 to 2023 on Archer and Kedzie, half of the fatalities pedestrians.
Wildlife
Rat Birth Control Reaches City Hall
The Lincoln Park rat contraceptive pilot — using "Good Bites" pellets derived from thunder god vine, a plant that disrupts ovulation in females and sperm production in males — got its moment in the committee room this month. Ald. Knudsen testified before the City Council's Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, telling colleagues: "My hope is that by continuing to elevate this work publicly...we work towards a day where abatement is done with more innovative, humane and sustainable materials."
The project, led by the Chicago Bird Alliance and Lincoln Park Zoo, places contraceptive bait in monitored stations across four North Side blocks. It was sparked by the 2025 deaths of a Lincoln Park owl family — mom, dad, and owlet — from rodenticide poisoning. Unlike traditional poisons, the active ingredient is rapidly metabolized rather than bioaccumulating up the food chain to raptors.
A comparable Boston trial saw rat populations drop 56–70% over 16 months. Initial Chicago data is expected summer 2026.
City Council next meets March 18. Northwest Side bike network community meeting: March 5, 6–7 p.m., Portage Park Senior Center, 4001 N. Long Ave. Survey open through March 15 at chicago.gov.