March 7, 2026
Date: February 24, 2026
Location of meeting: Via Zoom
Time meeting was called to order: 7:05pm
Attendees: Kristin Berg, Nan Parson, Marilyn Novak, KathyRolsing, Melani Kaplan, Erik Olijnyk, Jeanne Wells
1) Housing Plan
a) Housing Plan Implementation
i. No decision on next steps in terms of the letter sent to the mayor and city council calling for action on the AH Plan. There has been no response to the letter.
ii. Kristin will keep trying to set up a meeting with Drew Awsumb. He has said that staff are working on updating the vacant and city-owned properties list.
b) Monitor City Council/COW agendas for any Housing Plan discussions/actions/proposed multifamily and senior housing development
i. No new discussions in December or to date in February
c) Monitor PZC Agendas for any Housing Plan discussions/actions/ proposed multifamily and senior housing development
i. PZC took the first step towards implementation of the Housing Plan at their 2/10 meeting. They held a discussion about Strategy #6, review of the PUD ordinance and its zoning policies to incentivize the use of the PUD process to create AH. Kristinspoke at the meeting, asking them to keep an open mind about mandatory inclusionary zoning even though it is not in the current AH Plan. However, it has been 2 years since the Plan was approved and there are new council members. Strategies such as density bonuses and parking variances were discussed. Staff will get them more information about those strategies and detail what affordable housing currently exists in Park Ridge.
2) Comprehensive Plan
a) Comp Plan dedicated website: https://park-ridge-il-comprehensive-plan-hlplanning.hub.arcgis.com/
i. Kristin will make sure there is a special email, Facebook, and Instagram post about the Community Visionary Workshop to be held at Prospect Park on March 3rd at 7pm (and mention the Community Survey). This interactive workshop will introduce the planning process and provide an opportunity for participants to share ideas, concerns, and priorities for Park Ridge’s future.
ii. The Community Survey is on the website
iii. Mapping tool on website. It was reported in the meeting that there were problems with using the mapping tool.
3) We spent some time discussing how social media could help us engage more people in our AH efforts, such as attending our meetings and contacting alderpersons and state legislators. By posting our requests on Facebook and Instagram as well as the bi-weekly email update, we could increase the number of people that might take action. We talked about requesting new members with specific skill sets such as a city planner, architect, or someone with expertise in the housing needs of those with disabilities. That led to a discussion of in-person ways to engage and educate the community. AR will have a table at the Senior Expo on April 9th, and we will have some of our housing fact sheets there to hand out. Melani and Kristin will work on updating the documents. We are considering planning a small event for May, Affordable Housing month, and possibly a program with an author or expert in AH to be held at the library inNovember. Kristin will request a summer/fall date for the Community Tent at the Farmers Market. The No Kings Rally on March 28 and the Memorial Day parade provide additional opportunities to engage the public.
4) Nan has talked with Justin Cochran, the new State Rep. for Des Plaines/Park Ridge and will set up a date for some of us to meet with him to talk about AH.
5) We will also talk with Rep Cochran about the bills currently in the state legislature regarding AH and other policies to encourage more AH as mentioned recently by Governor Pritzker. We will ask him to be a sponsor of those bills. Kristin will contact Laura Murphy’s office to request a meeting and ask her to sponsor these bills as well. The policies supported by the Governor include:
6) Time meeting adjourned: 8:20pm
7) The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 3/24 at 7:00pm on Zoom We now have a NEW Zoomlink:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2644814263?pwd=clJCSWJmRnpnSjlyYmY0clJBRkJGZz09
Meeting ID: 264 481 4263
Passcode: 588190