Housing Lake Housing Summit (EVENT #7) February 11, 2026

Feb 16

Event #7 Overview

On Wednesday, February 11, more than 175 stakeholders gathered at the Lake County Regional Office of Education in Lake Forest for the Housing Summit, celebrating the culmination of seven months of collaborative work. The event opened with remarks from Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, Mayor Leon Rockingham, Jr. of North Chicago, Mayor Sam Cunningham of Waukegan, and Mayor Nancy Rotering of Highland Park. Following the welcome, the coalition officially unveiled the Housing Lake: Call to Action alongside coalition member commitments to advance implementation.

Attendees explored how the Call to Action connects to CMAP's Century Plan—the next long-range vision for northeastern Illinois—and participated in an expert panel discussion on housing challenges and solutions across sectors. The panel, moderated by Kevin Considine of Lake County Partners, featured Brenda O'Connell (Illinois Housing Development Authority), Chalen Daigle (McHenry County Council of Governments), David Bach (Hines), Joel Fontane (City of Highland Park), and Rob Anthony (Community Partners for Affordable Housing), who brought diverse perspectives from state policy, regional planning, development, municipal government, and nonprofit housing.

The summit concluded with networking and a celebration of the coalition's collaborative achievements. Looking ahead, the coalition will launch a virtual speaker series in early summer, exploring each pillar in depth and connecting members with expertise and actionable implementation strategies.