Barrington Area Council of Governments
112 Algonquin Road
Barrington Hills, Illinois 60010
(847) 381-7871
(847) 381-7882 (Fax)
www.bacog.org
October 15, 2014
Lake County Housing and Community Development Commission
500 W Winchester Road
Libertyville, Illinois 60048
Dear Members of the Housing and Community Development Commission,
Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Lake County Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing
Choice (“AI”) report. Our communities recognize the value of a diverse population, and our leaders are
committed to ensuring that all populations have access to housing and the opportunities within our
communities. We recognize that we are subject to fair housing law and wish to comply with it.
We believe that the report is a fair assessment of conditions, population characteristics, and policies and
programs operating within Lake County, and it clearly presents the consultant’s findings based on these
factors plus surveys and interviews. This letter will offer comments on several of the report’s points,
impediments and related recommendations.
General Points
There are statements in the report that seem to conclude what is appropriate for all communities,
including the “bedrock planning principle[s]” and the development best practices they follow, for
example (page 48). We believe that every community, however, may not set its “bedrock” planning goal
to ensure a range of housing choices when it is a very, very small community. Providing a full range of
housing options within a community of a few hundred homes may not be the “best practice” that it
would be for a larger community comprised of multiple neighborhoods, multiple uses, and thousands of
housing units and people.
Consider that a very small municipality like many in Lake 6