Lake Forest's Housing Trust Board Has New Voices Tackling Affordable Housing

This morning (March 8) will be the first time the Lake Forest Housing Trust Board will meet with four new people seated at the table.

Last month, the approved the appointment of seven members to the board, which previously had only three seats.

“We have a lot more talent at the table to execute the mission of the Housing Trust,” explained Third Ward Alderman Tom Morsch, who serves as a liaison between the board and the city council.

The Housing Trust is tasked with finding more affordable housing opportunities within the city.

Among those on the new Housing Trust Board are representatives from some of the major employers in Lake Forest.

New member Matt Koschman is the vice president of Planning and Business Development at . The Vernon Hills resident is expected to bring an employer perspective to the board.

"It’s important to have an employer provide input as to what the needs are of the employees within the city,” he explained, stating that the hospital experiences a great deal of turnover because many of its employees cannot afford to live in Lake Forest, but have found the commute from other cities to be too long.

“Having employees to be able to respond quickly is an added incentive for the community as well,” he added.

Also new to the Housing Trust is 11-year resident James Buzard from the city’s Fourth Ward, who is also a member of the Senior Resource Commission. Buzard brings a senior perspective to the table, one of the largest populations within Lake Forest in need of more affordable housing opportunities.

“We’re primarily focused on seniors who have lived in Lake Forest, who would like to continue to do so,” he said. “We’re looking for ways to help them out.”

Other members of the new Housing Trust Board are: Michael Burns, who will serve as the new chairman; Leslie Chapman of the Fourth Ward and a representative of ; Tom Tropp of the Second Ward,  and Evanston resident Steve Madden, who will represent .

“We wanted to make sure we had people who could speak intelligently from a number of different perspectives,” explained Morsch. 

The issue of affordable housing in Lake Forest has taken center stage in recent months. The Settler's Green development, which would bring 16 to 30 affordable housing units to the corner of Everett and Telegraph roads, drew heated debate from both sides.

The city council voted down the proposal in November of last year, bringing the project back to the Housing Trust Board, which will attempt to come to a consensus that would be satisfactory to the majority of the city council, and to Lake Forest residents.

Other sites that are under consideration as potential affordable housing opportunities are: Laurel and Western avenues, The Grove Cultural Campus, the former Barat College campus, and rehabilitating several existing homes in Lake Forest that have come down in value during the downturn in the real estate market.

Members are hopeful the expansion of the board will create a bevy of new ideas. Each member has an investment in making affordable housing more of a reality in the city.

“Lake Forest seniors have a lot of ties in the community, and they have a desire to stay put,” explained Buzard. “Certainly Lake Forest is a grand place to do that.”

Added Morsch, “It’s time for us to start walking the walk when it comes to affordable housing."