Updates
Upcoming October/November Events
As the leaves and temperatures fall, keep cozy with all the events we have coming up in the next few weeks.
Chicago City Council Unanimously Votes to Relegalize Coach Houses and Conversion Units
The Chicago city council voted unanimously to relegalize coach houses and conversion units today. Please thank your alderperson for voting yes to pass this important ordinance. Additionally, if they have single family zoning in their ward, encourage them to OPT IN with the fewest restrictions possible ASAP.
Legalize ADUs in Chicago—Act by Sept 25
On September 25th, the Chicago City Council will vote on whether to legalize Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) citywide—and we need your voice to make it happen.
Upcoming August/September Events
As summer draws to a close, we have a packed schedule of events coming up that you won’t want to miss!
August Events
Whew, summer is just flying by! We have a few exciting events coming up in the next couple weeks. See below!
Parking Reform Victory--Lets Celebrate!
Last week, the Chicago City Council unanimously voted to enact major parking reforms across the city. It's time to party. Let's celebrate this victory of reducing parking minimums across most of Chicago!
Updates From Chicago City Council & Next Steps
The accessory dwelling unit (ADU) as well as parking reform ordinances passed out of the zoning committee today! Now, both ordinances need to get through the full city council tomorrow to make it across the finish line.
Upcoming July Events
We have a lot of events coming up in the next couple weeks. See below!
Urgent Parking Reform Opportunity
The Zoning Committee added parking reform to its agenda for tomorrow, Tuesday, 6/17. Strong Towns Chicago encourages followers to urge their aldermen to support this ordinance.
June Events!
We have a lot of events coming up in the next couple weeks that we encourage folks to attend!
Updates From Springfield & Next Steps
The Illinois legislature failed to act on several Strong Towns Chicago key initiatives yesterday. Legislators must take urgent action to address these issues. While this is a disappointing setback, the fight is far from over. We encourage members to attend our monthly meetup, Wednesday at 6:30 to discuss where we go from here.
Act Now for Statewide Housing Bills
There are two housing bills in the Illinois State House currently being discussed by legislators: HB 1813 - Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Permissibility Act and HB 1814 - Missing Middle Housing Act.
Join our friends at Abundant Housing IL and call/email your state representative and senator to support these crucial bills!
April Happy Hour And Membership Drive
Strong Towns Chicago is now an official nonprofit in the state of Illinois and we are thrilled to launch our very first member drive!
March/April Updates
It’s been a busy month. We have tons of updates and upcoming events so let’s get into it!
Housing Victory
Illinois housing abundance bills successfully pass out of committee one day before the deadline. We know that the emails and calls you all made yesterday made a difference! Let’s keep showing up for abundant housing in IL!
Tell Chair Jimenez to call housing legalization bills now
The Illinois House's Housing Committee didn't give any of the housing legalization bills a hearing. Join our friends at Abundant Housing IL and email Chair Jimenez and Speaker Welch to tell them to advance these bills!
February Updates
Lots of updates and ways to get involved in the upcoming days. Some highlights: We hosted our first members happy hour at Graystone Tavern in Wrigleyville and we released another Strong Towns Chicago podcast, with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi as the episode’s guest.
Upcoming Events | January 2025
This year, it’s our New Year’s resolution to make Chicago more affordable & financially solvent, with safer streets and stronger transit for all!
To those aims, we have some upcoming member events and calls to activism for members.
Virtual Members Meeting & Holiday Party
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and have some exciting events to share before even more holidays are upon us.