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Illinois REALTORS revives plan to cut local barriers to homebuilding
The group says Illinois faces a 142,000 unit shortfall today and estimates the state needs about 227,000 homes by 2030 to meet demand.
Illinois REALTORS says it is restarting its housing supply effort and taking the plan directly to local governments after Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Building Up Illinois Developments package stalled in the legislature, according to HousingWire.
The group’s Illinois Housing Supply Accelerator Program would ask local officials, builders, lenders, and community leaders to form working groups focused on identifying and removing local barriers that slow home construction.
Illinois REALTORS frames the issue as structural rather than short-term, pointing to a shortage of 142,000 homes and an estimate that about 227,000 homes will be needed by 2030. The group also links the slowdown to rising costs, citing research that shows Illinois home values increased 37% since 2019.
The reporting adds that data used to pitch the program showed the state authorized 1.60 new housing units per 1,000 residents in 2024, compared with 3.85 in Indiana and 3.87 in Iowa, and that active listings fell 64% over the past five years while construction permits dropped 13%. Researchers also note that by May 2026, Chicago’s median sale price exceeded $399,000, up 35%.