Category: States

Photo of the multi-story CoreSite CH2 data center at 1432 S. Clinton St., Chicago, IL 60607

New nuclear would help Illinois keep up with energy demand

March 27, 2025 / / 0 Comments

If you live in northern Illinois, your electricity supply is among the most reliable in the country, and you have nuclear power to thank for that. Unlike many other regions that struggle with grid stability, our northern Illinois benefits from a network of five nuclear power plants that provide a steady, dependable base load of electricity. If we want to maintain this advantage—and meet the growing demand for electricity—we need to build more nuclear power plants. (Illinois has a sixth nuclear power plant, but the Clinton generating station is in a different “subgrid”.)

ComEd commissioned a study in 2022 which showed that as more households transition to electric heating and driving (two changes among many others predicted and necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) our grid will need additional capacity. Heat pumps and electrified buildings are great for reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, but a steady, always-on power source – one that doesn’t disappear at sunset, and one that doesn’t emit any carbon – is necessary and expected. That’s where nuclear power comes in, which has been working for Illinoisans for the last 65 years. 

A group of nuclear engineers and advocates tours the Byron Generating Station in Byron, Illinois (2023, Michael McLean).

The study, written by Energy and Environmental Economics, says, “as a result of electrification for buildings, industry, and transportation, statewide electricity demand grows by 89% and 127% in the Moderate Electrification and High Electrification scenarios, respectively.”

Currently, Illinois law bans new nuclear power plants of the types that already exist here. In a silly way, Illinois law allows nuclear power plants of a type that don’t actually exist. Thankfully, HB 3604 is a bill in the Illinois House that was passed by committee last week that would repeal the ban on existing nuclear power plant types, allowing new ones – including their updated versions – to be built. 

SB 1527 is the equivalent in the Illinois Senate and while it didn’t get approved by a committee, its deadline was extended to April 4. Bill sponsor Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin coauthored this op-ed in Crain’s, writing, “In recent years, experts have warned that Illinois is on track to shift from a net exporter to a net importer of energy, making us dependent on neighboring states for our power demands. Meanwhile, states like Georgia, Tennessee, and Wyoming are advancing nuclear projects while Illinois remains stuck in the past.

PJM is the grid price manager for northern Illinois, including Chicago, and the PJM region reaches from here to Jersey Shore. This means that demand for electricity anywhere in the PJM region affects Chicago, and generation capacity and reliability in northern Illinois can affect prices in Newark. 

Several times a year PJM holds an electricity pricing auction in which distributors – like ComEd – and other high-need consumers – like data center operators – indicate, by bidding, how much electricity they believe they’ll require over the next time period. Generation companies – like Exelon – use this pricing auction to determine which plants they’ll keep running to supply electricity at those prices (different plants and energy sources have different operating costs). 

Nuclear power has an unmatched ability to generate massive amounts of electricity without greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a good complement to other carbon-free generation like wind and solar, ensuring that even on a still or cloudy day, their intermittency doesn’t affect keeping lights, heating, and the wifi, on.

In fact, PJM rates nuclear power’s Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC) at 95 percent, the highest of all generation and storage types, even higher than batteries (which may not be charged when they’re needed, or could be depleted in the cold). Another way to understand ELCC is that the number is a prediction that a generation source will not have a “loss of load” event in any given hour. PJM expects that nuclear power plants will operate 8,322 hours each year and sun-tracking solar panel farms to provide electricity 1,226 hours each year.

Illinois, and whichever power markets it’s part of now (PJM) or in the future, needs more nuclear energy. Next year, rate payers – electricity consumers, you and me – can expect to pay higher rates per kWh because other buyers are coming into the market and willing to pay higher rates for the most reliable sources. Specifically, data center operators want access to nuclear power. One piece of good news is that the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan will be restarting within a few years, and that source will bolster the supply in the MISO1 region, next door.

Last month, WSPY interviewed State Representative Harry Benton, a cosponsor of HB3604, reporting, “Benton says nuclear energy could help provide power to data centers across the state without a significant impact to other users on the power grid.”

Alan Medsker is a nuclear energy advocate I met the last time I went to Springfield to lobby (with a lowercase “L”) for housing abundance. He testified at the House committee this month to raise awareness about rising prices due to rising demand:

PJM and MISO face a crisis of surging load growth and a simultaneous retirement of many reliable sources of power. This confluence of events will soon cause large rate hikes on ratepayers across the state. Together, the General Assembly and Governor’s office have worked hard to attract new businesses to our state, especially data centers.

Data centers bring with them large 24/7 energy demands. For this reason, tech giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta are considering all nuclear reactor design options to meet their energy requirements, and they are going to make sure they can get the power they need, when planning to build. Several of them are already partnering with nuclear reactor developers. If we restrict their options, they will almost certainly look elsewhere – there are plenty of other states that welcome nuclear energy developers, and some are even providing incentives.

Nuclear power plants’ high electricity generation capacity supports a reliable grid of delivery to the home and some price stability that prevents the kind of energy price spikes seen in areas that rely too much on oil and natural gas. In the 2024 “capacity obligation” auction for energy delivery in 2025-2026, PJM announced “capacity prices for the 2025/26 delivery year soared to $269.92/MW-day, up from $28.92/MW-day in the last auction”. Nuclear power accounted for only 21 percent of energy capacity provided by generators in that auction while gas accounted for 48 percent.

“The spike in capacity prices was driven by power plant retirements, increased load, and new market rules that aim to better reflect risks from extreme weather — coupled with new resource accreditation metrics that are designed to reflect how much capacity a resource delivers during system stresses.”, Utility Dive reported. The nine times increase may not be fully reflected on consumers’ bills. 

The alternative of having more power from non-nuclear sources is a future where electricity providers struggle to meet demand and return to using more fossil fuels. The U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts coal-burning will still occur in 2050!

That’s not a future we should accept. Solar and wind are being installed faster these days, providing more of the energy mix, but they and the requisite new transmission and storage infrastructure are decades away – at least – from potentially taking over the responsibilities that nuclear and gas have been taking care of since the 1960s.

Illinois has the workforce, expertise, and supply chain to expand nuclear power and accommodate rising demand and temper rising prices. We should take advantage of it by re-legalizing nuclear power plants in the state.

  1. MISO is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, another regional grid price manager like PJM. ↩︎
screen grab from Kirsten's video that is an aerial view of the enclosed yard

Exploring Radish: a model for cottage courts from Oakland

December 23, 2024 / / 0 Comments

One of the many benefits of allowing pocket neighborhoods and cottage courts is being able to share high land costs. That, and sharing child care duties, are primary reasons that Phil Levin and Kristen Berman created “Radish”, a pocket neighborhood in Oakland.

Phil founded Live Near Friends, a website advising people on which steps to take to eventually live near friends and family and live happier by focusing on the hard part of finding appropriate real estate, setting up community standards, and arranging rent and legal concerns. He also is a co-founder of Culdesac, in Tempe, Arizona, an apartment complex with a traditional design of close-together buildings and shops near transit.

Phil takes Kirsten Dirksen, who produces videos about uncommon homes, on a tour of Radish, where the viewer can meet the residents, and learn about the architecture of the buildings and outdoor space plus a little about the process to combine two lots into what he calls a “friend compound”.

I previously wrote about cottage courts and how the Chicago zoning code does not allow them, primarily by disallowing more than one house per property. For Chicago, cottage courts can additionally offer the benefit of achieving the same density as a series of two-flats – so as not to reduce the population or population capacity of a neighborhood – while responding to the demand for detached housing and yards – which are putting pressure on two-flats and leading to their deconversions or teardowns. Two-flats have been a typical way for Chicagoans to live in a multigenerational setting, something that cottage courts can also promote.

Radish comprises two properties that started with two existing apartment buildings and an existing backyard house. Levin et. al. added another backyard house (ADU), a small building for a coworking office and shared kitchen (called “Blueberry” on the site plan below), and an RV for housing guests. All of those additions encircle a large shared space with a grassy yard, communal and scattered seating, a fire pit, a hot tub, and a sauna, separated from the car parking area by a privacy fence.

The lot area of the two parcels is about 18,859 s.f. The site plan is from 2020 and the population count reflects that year. Site plan: Supernuclear

In total, there are eight dwelling units on the property in four houses on an 18,589 s.f. set of two parcels. That lot area is the equivalent of six standard size lots in Chicago, on which 12-18 dwelling units will typically be found. But, that large lot size is atypical for Oakland.

Another aspect of cottage courts is that they can facilitate sharing food, high-cost resources (like a hot tub), and child care. Phil, the other residents, and even former residents who live nearby and stop by during the filming, describe how the cooking and child care is shared in the video. Phil’s blog details how he and his wife, Kristen, “built Radish to be a great place to have kids”.

Stay tuned for another blog post on this topic. I worked with Jamin Nollsch to create a cottage court site plan specific for Chicagoans to pair with a memo and sample ordinance that I wrote to promote legalizing this form of housing and living here.

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Ride in Chicago with “Bike Mayor” John Bauters to help elect him to higher office

July 11, 2024 / / 1 Comment

I’m co-hosting a fundraiser for John Bauters when he visits Chicago in two weeks on Monday, July 22. You can donate now or keep reading to learn why it’s important to support candidates like John.

John is formerly the mayor of Emeryville, California, and is running for Alameda County Supervisor in a runoff election on November 5, 2024. After finding out that he was coming to Chicago (for a work conference), I talked to some other Chicagoans and quickly put together an idea for a “meet and greet” event.

John Bauters and his dog, Reyna. Photo: Provided by John
Brendan Kevenides and John Bauters. Photo: Eric Allix Rogers

I was really just excited that I could meet John because I wasn’t able to meet him when he was here in August 2022 and rode in the monthly Critical Mass bike ride. John is well known online as “America’s Bike Mayor” because of how he rides around Emeryville, a city of 13,000 people, posting photos and videos of new sustainable transportation infrastructure and housing in the city, sometimes with his dog, Reyna. 

Because of the successes in reducing traffic crashes there and increasing the number of affordable homes and housing for the homeless that John has shepherded as a council member and as mayor, John is known around the United States as a progressive leader. 

On Monday, July 22, I’ll be co-hosting a fundraiser for John in Chicago, alongside Nate Hutcheson, Ben Wolfenstein, Michelle Stenzel, Tim Shambrook, and Brendan Kevenides (an attorney with FK Law Illinois). We’ll start the bike ride in Lincoln Square, ride through the 40th and 47th Wards making a couple stops along the way to showcase good and bad urbanism, and end the ride on the lakefront for a community discussion followed by a happy hour. 

We’re asking people to donate to John’s campaign (for Alameda County Supervisor, where he’s in a runoff) to get the details for the ride. We’re also looking for additional people to join the host committee (contact me if you’re interested). You can donate as little as $20 to join this ride and you’re adding your voice to a call for more active transportation leadership nationally.

So here’s the question I think a lot of people are wondering: why should Chicagoans donate to someone running for office in another state?

Michelle Stenzel, founder of Bike Walk Lincoln Park, said, “It’s important for city planners to have examples from the United States of successful balanced street designs. Former Emeryville Mayor John Bauters was an agent for making the roads less car-centric. I’m supporting John in running for a new position that will allow him to broaden his influence even further, which will benefit everyone who cares about livable streets.”

Brendan Kevenides, an attorney who represents many injured cyclists in Chicago, said, “FK Law is proud to support John Bauters because he’s the kind of bicycle advocate, the sort of pragmatic leader that cities and towns throughout the United States need more of. He puts in the work necessary to bring about change in transportation policy that saves lives and improves living.”

Molly Fleck, a bicycle and ADU advocate, said, “John’s work in Emeryville on affordable housing and people-oriented transportation serves as a model of what’s possible for cities that want to do things differently. I am donating because John’s leadership resonates far beyond Alameda County.”

Daniel Comeaux, a transportation planner, said, “John is an inspiring leader who is at the forefront of the national movement to build cities for people and not just cars. I’m donating because I am excited to see that work continue, as a model for communities nationwide.”

About John

John’s work has been trendsetting from the Bay Area. Under his leadership, Emeryville has been transformed as a community. Examples of sustainable urban policies they’ve led on:

  • One of the first cities to eliminate parking minimums and reduce maximums.
  • Removing on-street parking in favor of separated, protected bike lanes and dedicated transit-only lanes.
  • Developed “Sustainable Streetscapes” program that requires implementation of the bike/ped plan when streets are repaved.
  • Designated a “Pro-Housing City” by Governor Newsom for the abundance and affordability of housing the city is producing

John also championed Alameda County’s 400-mile Countywide Bikeways Plan and also initiated the County Transportation Commission’s Race & Equity Action Plan. (Note that Alameda County covers most of the East Bay communities, including Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville.) In 2022, the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club gave John their inaugural Visionary Award for his work to build safe, sustainable, and environmentally-forward communities through climate action and leadership.

Eric Rogers, a prolific photographer who bikes for transportation and fun and took one of the photos above, said, “Mayor Bauters has been an inspirational leader in encouraging cities to adopt people-centric mobility policies that make us all healthier and safer. We need to give him a bigger platform to bring these ideas to more people. Plus, he’s a friendly guy with deep roots in Chicago and the Midwest, and we have to support our own!”

John is an accessible politician and holds “mobile office hours” talking to constituents on walks and bike rides. He’ll spend some time speaking to us about safe streets advocacy after the ride but would also welcome a chance to talk about supporting broader causes, helping elect women and urbanists, and protecting vulnerable community members. Please chip in and come join us for a solidarity ride with an elected official who is modeling what we want to see here in Chicago.

Letter to the editor: Legalize housing abundance across Illinois

March 3, 2024 / / 0 Comments

My letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times was published on February 26, 2024.

State Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago has introduced another land use bill that Illinoisans should support. The bill provides that municipalities with a population of 100,000 or more should allow property owners to have more than one home on a lot. This forward-thinking legislation represents a significant step toward addressing the pressing housing challenges facing our communities and would foster more inclusive and sustainable urban development.

The shortage of affordable housing in Illinois for middle-class families, particularly in the Chicago area, has reached a critical point. New housing in places with access to jobs, opportunities and amenities has not kept up with demand.

Buckner’s bill acknowledges the need for innovative solutions to tackle this issue head-on. By lifting the ban on multifamily housing options in residential zones, the legislation promotes diversity in housing types, catering to the needs of our population.

I believe cities that don’t allow enough housing should not be able to push people to remote areas that have cheaper housing and less access to the things that make our cities great. This sprawl has devastating effects on our agricultural land and natural open space, ultimately increasing the tax burden on municipalities by extending and maintaining utilities to far-flung, lower-density areas.

More often than not, residents of sprawling development have higher transportation costs, according to research by the Center for Neighborhood Technology.

In Houston, America’s fourth-largest city with a lot of sprawling development and limited alternatives to driving, 34.4% of households pay 45% or more of their income just for housing and transportation. In Chicago, on the other hand, only 27.5% of households pay 45% or more of their income on housing and transportation.

Multifamily housing— which could be as little as two homes on a lot — not only provides more affordable options but also promotes a more efficient use of space and resources. By fostering mixed-use development, it’s easier to create and sustain neighborhoods with vibrant retail in walking distance.

map of the zoning districts in Naperville, symbolized in three categories (multifamily housing allowed, multifamily disallowed in a residential zoning district, and all other zoning districts)
Map of the zoning districts in Naperville, not shown in the Chicago Sun-Times posting. Three categories are symbolized: multifamily housing allowed, multifamily disallowed in a residential zoning district, and all other zoning districts.

Our legislators should recognize the positive impact that allowing multifamily housing can have on affordability, community development and overall urban sustainability. It’s time to embrace progressive measures that will shape a more equitable and prosperous future in Illinois.

Steven Vance, urban planner, South Loop

Illinois might join the country’s league of states adopting land use reforms

February 23, 2024 / / 2 Comments

Illinois House Representative Kam Buckner (26th district) has introduced three bills that would adopt land use reforms across all or a lot of the state. This is a trend happening across the United States to address twin crises of low housing construction and limited affordable housing caused in large part by individual municipalities restricting new housing.

I’ve summarized the three proposed bills below. If you would like to help get these adopted, join the Urban Environmentalists of Illinois.

Allowing accessory dwelling units

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are apartments and small backyard houses that are built to provide on-site housing for family members, or generate additional income. They are usually allowed by amending zoning codes to add design parameters that treat them differently than apartments, detached, or attached houses and exempt them from typical density limitations inherent in nearly all zoning codes.

Buckner filed HB4213 in November 2023, which would disallow any unit of local government in Illinois from prohibiting ADUs, which most governments in Illinois do through various zoning rules (the main one being that a residentially-zoned parcel is only allowed to have a single building).

A bill like this has already been adopted in California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire (at a minimum).

Letters to the editor

I submitted a letter to the editor in March and am waiting for the media outlet to select it for publication.

Coach houses are one type of small backyard house, common in Chicago. This one in Lakeview was built in 2023.

Lifting parking mandates

Buckner submitted HB4638 in January 2024 to get local governments out of the business of forcing a minimum number of car parking spaces at developments near transit, which are currently established without any rationale. You might say the amount of space cities require businesses and apartment buildings to provide is based on vibes.

Letters to the editor

  • My letter to the editor describing the benefits of not requiring so much parking everywhere, and specifically mentioned this bill, was published in The Daily Line in February.
  • Pete Snyder’s letter to the editor was published in the Chicago Sun-Times in March and asks Chicago to “finish the job” that the Connected Communities ordinance started and remove parking mandates citywide.
There are so many better things we can do for a community than dedicating land for car parking.

Allowing more than one home per lot

Most municipal zoning codes in Illinois have a zoning district called something like “R1” that allows one detached house on a lot, often setting a very large minimum lot size that must be assembled before construction can begin. Municipal leaders then apply R1 broadly within their municipalities’ boundaries, effectively banning condos, townhouses, row houses, and apartments – the most affordable kinds of homes to buy and rent.

Buckner introduced HB4795 in February 2024; it would apply to the state’s eight largest cities and require them to allow at least a “duplex” (two-unit house) on every parcel that allows a detached single-family house.

Naperville would be one of the covered municipalities; the city allows two-family dwellings in R2 zoning districts and slightly more homes per lot in the higher-number R zoning districts. Their B1 neighborhood shopping district also allows multi-family housing.

But the Naperville zoning map shows how prevalent R1 and its friends the “E” estate districts are: the vast majority of the city is zoned to allow only single detached houses.

Letters to the editor

My letter to the editor in support of this bill was published in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 26, 2024.