ORDINANCE
Whereas, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of local government under Article VII, Section 6(a) ofthe 1970 Constitution ofthe State of Illinois; and
Whereas, as a home rule unit, the City may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs, including the power to regulate for the protection ofthe public health, safety, and welfare; and
Whereas, in order to preserve the public health, safety, and welfare, it is important for the City to have a variety of safe housing available and affordable to its residents of every income group; and
Whereas, housing stability promotes stronger neighborhoods and communities, and increases public health, safety, and welfare; and
Whereas, the Pilsen Historic District has been a bastion of housing stability in Chicago since its creation in the nineteenth century by Bohemians, through the transition to being a Mexican neighborhood, where Bohemians and Mexicans worked together in the 1950s to preserve the neighborhood as "one ofthe last neighborhoods in the city for low-income families;" and
Whereas, the great architecture and community of the Pilsen neighborhood was considered significant enough to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006; and
Whereas, despite having such a strong community, a 2020 study, Addendum to the Pilsen Quality of Life Plan, by the University of Illinois at Chicago, found that an estimated 14,875 Hispanic residents left Pilsen between 2000 and 2018; and
Whereas, according to 2020 data by the Great Cities Institute, there was a 9 percent increase in home values (adjusted for inflation) above $150,000 between 2000 and 2018; and
Whereas, between 2000 and 2018, rent burdened households (defined as paying 30 percent or more of household income on rent) increased by 11.6% percent and gross rents of $1,000 and above increased by 39.7%; and
Whereas, the rapid increase in home and land values has resulted in an increase in demolitions, diminishing ...
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