>> It's considered one of the most powerful positions in City Hall after months without a permanent leader City Council's committee on zoning, landmarks and building standards finally has a new chair.

36 Ward Alderman Gilbert Villegas will lead the committee, putting him at the Centre decisions that shape everything from neighborhood housing to billion dollar developments.

Joining us now is the newly-appointed Zoning Committee chair.

36 word, Alderman Gilbert Villegas who represents parts of the northwest side like Belmont, Craig and Humble Park.

Welcome back.

Alderman, Congrats on the new position.

I appreciate.

Thank you, Brenda Famu back.

So you're stepping into the role.

It's been months of stalled meetings.

More than 100 proposals are still in limbo.

What's your plan to work through that backlog?

Well, we've already hit the ground running.

We've already scheduled to meetings for next month when a May 6 where we're here.

>> About 85 to 90% of those projects.

And my intention is to have a long meeting on that day in order to get these projects approved so that we can get people to work working.

Then on May 19th will have a another meeting that will deal with some of pay roll over projects as well as some tax amendment on ordinances that need to be that he be moved.

But yeah, this this we need to get things moving.

People are ready ready to get to work.

This is construction season.

Unfortunately, we don't enjoy the same whether it's California and Florida.

And so we have a the compressed construction season.

So we want to make sure that we're getting people I do want this position.

Look, this is something that this I've been in the construction industry, my whole professional career deputy director with the Department of Transportation, not-for-profit Trade Association read advocating infrastructure down to Springfield in DC and then also I was the chief of staff what's called the Capital Development Board, which is an agency that does a state agency that all the vertical construction in the state of Illinois.

So in essence, it was a question construction manager.

I lead the economic Capital Technology Development Committee as well as the chairman for the last 6 years and capital being part of the infrastructure.

So again, I know to get things done and looking forward getting it done for our colleagues.

It extension of work that you previously Are there specific types of projects, affordable housing, transit oriented neighborhood revitalization that you plan to prioritize first once you get going?

Yeah.

So it's we're going to be talking with our colleagues can find out what their what their priorities are.

We want to make sure that we're addressing.

>> The housing shortage that's there.

One of the big issues that we're seeing around supply and demand is just predictability of how big it projects completed.

And so one of the key things I want to do is meet with both developers and the outside attorneys as well as the internal government employees to figure out what is it that we need to do in order to speed up projects.

This is the perfect related technology on so that we would predictability.

I would imagine having each project having its own dashboard were those folks and some of those stakeholders have an opportunity look at that dashboard to find out where the rat in the process.

Again, this is right for taking out.

This is right for technology because already we have tons of boxes of paper and in 2026.

We gotta get rid of the paper, especially specifically around this committee.

Your previous leading role, the economic Capital Technology Development Committee that's been handed off to Alderman Derek Curtis.

>> No part of the deal that put you in the chair was the support of the Black caucus so that one of their members could take over there.

What does that say to you about the role of race and sort of politicking deal cutting in Chicago politics?

Well, I think I think and take a look at this as well.

I think that both Eric and I started 2015.

So we're we're we're not 3rd term and we didn't want to do is set a precedence around allowing freshman the ability to have >> powerful committees like zoning.

And so I think that in your and last and yeah, it's been in the role, yes Room, which which which he did a great job during his tenure there.

And he's the vice chair of the committee.

So we look, we're both going to work collectively to make sure that we get projects completed in the city, Chicago, but he was an opportunity to promote a colleague using our colleague of mine, who's in his 3rd term as well.

And we took them and we looked at it, do roll cause and we thought that was the best path forward as a result of my committee, my steps going to be helping and Eric as well to get to get his footings around that committee.

But we want to make sure that we're we're both can be successful, he's in charge of economic capital technology, infrastructure thing, which is called the capital Improvement plan.

That's in that committee.

And then I'll be with zoning.

So we're going to be doing a bunch of construction city.

Chicago.

There's also the of the little issue of Aldermanic prerogative.

Do you plan on honoring this this decades old tradition of aldermanic prerogative that gives all the people the final authority over the housing developments in their ward.

I think so I'm going to be setting up some meetings with see map as well as MPC.

So that's Chicago Metropolitan Agency for planning as well as the Metropolitan.

>> Planning Council.

I want I want to get some information around planning.

But what I see about automatic pride, it's more about educating people.

What we see is that once people talk about affordable housing, people out there.

That's all we don't want that in here and not understanding what affordable housing needs.

Listen, I grew up in late Pope's which a Chicago housing authority.

and as a result of that, again, living in living in public housing.

Give me a different view around what what working working people and what they're how they're struggling.

And we want to make sure that we're addressing every one of the affordability issue.

So going to be talking about affordable housing market rate, all types of development.

But what I really want to focus on is making sure that we have the ability to get things done.

Quicker.

The fact that we're taking months in some cases, years to get projects approved is really what's leading to the affordability issue.

Just not enough supply.

And as a result of that prices are You know, we talk about affordability and in whose impacted by the lack of affordability a lot on because there's been a finding by the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development under former President Joe Biden that found.

>> That all the ramp aldermanic prerogative fuel segregation in Chicago, violating civil rights of black and Latino residents by limiting the creation of affordable housing.

How do you square aldermanic prerogative with that?

Well against is it's about education.

It's about having a discussion that's going to bring in the subject matter.

Experts around planning to figure out how we can educate my colleagues, but also the public around what affordable housing as a negative connotation right now.

And really frustrating because we take a look at what 60% of median household income is that some communities some cases at $60,000 for family of 2.

And we think about that.

I mean, that's little bit more than that.

Maybe $30.30, $1 an hour that someone's making, right.

So we need to we need to stop this whole stigma around negative stigma around former housing and educate people.

What affordable housing really means on that note, Chicago continues to face a housing shortage of how can zoning committee be used as a tool to fix to fix the affordable housing crisis?

In addition to what you just named.

I see the zoning committee as in up his economic development committee as well.

So we're gonna have the ability to spur economic development.

But what's really causing the affordability issue of supply and demand.

And what we need to do is make sure that we're getting projects done quicker.

I keep that this sizing technology because of the fact that government has been real slow to get on board technology.

Think about the fact that right now you can order groceries, track it on your phone, have affordable being delivered.

But yet if you get into the system, building system and to submit a permit, you can track it.

You're you Nicole people.

You're having to send emails to figure out where things are at.

And again, just no transparency.

So my goal is to really focus on cutting the red tape, getting projects completed quicker.

A lot for predictability of more transparency.

There's also major projects like the 78 side quantum Bally's Casino all in the works facing delays, public scrutiny.

>> What role do you plan on playing to move large-scale developments like that.

But while also ensuring community needs are taken into account, absolutely.

working closely with those those on our men and women that represent those areas.

This tonight we approved site quantum to my committee as well.

The foundry, which which is the previous Lincoln Yards.

78 with stadium.

I mean, these are projects that have been approved by City Council.

We're excited about those are projects that we need now imagine these are large Chicago, but we'll also hear from people that are a little bullish that are little bullish Chicago because of the fact that I'm certain little in Chicago because of the fact that just don't know what's going on there.

So we want to do is signal know Chicago's open for business.

We want to allow them to invest in the city, but then also do it in a way where again, is predictability about when these projects are going to take route.

Quickly, before we let you go, you previously been at odds with the mayor over issues like the budget, corporate head tax that he proposed plan on working with Mayor Johnson as well as the rest of city council on this.

And, you know, any time the city council, he's standing up and not being a rubber stamp.

It's good for taxpayers.

It's good for Jen Hawkins.

We're elected just like the mayor.

We have opinions and we should be able to voice those opinions.

So whenever the mayor has something that we can collaborate on looking forward collaborating, but if he's putting something forward and a bunch of us are not really accepting orders, we think is a different different opportunity to get it done.