Village Non-Emergency Offices Closed for Columbus Day/ Indigenous Peoples' Day

Non-emergency Village offices will be closed Monday, October 11, for Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day. Lakeshore Recycling collection is not impacted by the holiday.

Village Approves Affordable Housing Regulations

On October 4, the Mayor and Village Board approved an affordable housing Ordinance that requires new housing developments to include a certain percent of units available to low-to-middle income households in order to increase housing opportunities for a diverse population and to provide housing for those who live or work in the Village.

Under the ordinance, new residential developments will be required to provide up to 10 percent affordable housing for households with incomes that do not exceed 100 percent of the area medium income (AMI). Rental developments with more than 50 units are required to dedicate half of their affordable units to those households with incomes that do not exceed 80 percent AMI and the other half to households with incomes that do not exceed 100 AMI. Following resident input, Mayor Daniel C. Shapiro asked the Village Board to lower the income threshold from the previously proposed 120 percent AMI. The Ordinance also includes building permit fee waivers and a density bonus for affordable units.

“It’s important for our community and for those hoping to come to our community,” Shapiro said. “This Ordinance is a tool to further assist us with increasing the supply of affordable housing in our Village and encouraging diversity, allowing low-to-moderate income families to access better employment and educational opportunities.”

Former Mayor Harriet Rosenthal and the Village Board initially sent the issue to the Plan Commission for study in July 2020. Mayor Shapiro thanked the Plan Commission and Village staff for their hard work in developing the Ordinance.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Ad Hoc Working Group Tasked to Make Deerfield Carbon Neutral by 2050

On October 4, the Village Board appointed seven members to the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Ad Hoc Working Group and asked them to create a 2-5-year greenhouse gas reduction program within the next six months. The goal of the reduction program is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and be 100% carbon neutral by 2050.

The creation of the ad hoc working group stems from a February 18, 2020, Village proclamation urging local governments and municipalities to lead the global effort to fight climate change. The group will focus on policy initiatives in key focus areas of our local economy including energy, transportation, food, waste, and trees/land/water to help achieve the greenhouse gas reduction goals.

“Municipalities have an unparalleled opportunity to make changes that can transform local economies and positively impact peoples’ lives both locally, and even globally,” said Mayor Daniel C. Shapiro. “It is time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work to preserve a future we can all be proud to pass along to our children and grandchildren.”

Members of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Ad Hoc Working Group include Trustee Mary Oppenheim (Chairperson), Trustee Elaine Jacoby, Sustainability Commission Chairperson Donald Anderson, Sustainability Commissioner William Mertes, Go Green Deerfield Chairperson Art Wilde, Go Green Deerfield Member Camilla Dadey, and Business Community Representative Victoria Street, Executive Director of the DBR Chamber of Commerce.

Last Farmers Market of the Season

Join us to celebrate a successful 2021 Farmers Market Season at the last market of the year on Saturday! Come and gather your share of this final Autumn harvest.

Whether you’re looking for fresh apples and other Fall fruits for baking or canning or you’re looking forward to making a seasonal dish with fresh Fall veggies, our vendors offer all the flavors of Fall.

Stop by the information booth on the south end of the market for this season’s last Grab & Go kids’ activity! The Farmers Market Committee also put together Winter & Spring garden activity ideas to keep your little ones busy until next market season.

A special thank you to all of our volunteers, staff, vendors, customers & municipal representatives for making the 2021 market season a success!

Help Us Define 109!

Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is excited to launch “Define 109”, an initiative to listen to and work with students, families, staff and community members as we begin the process of refreshing the district’s mission and vision. There will be both in-person and virtual feedback groups throughout the month of October, as well as an online survey opportunity in November to allow all interested stakeholders to be part of the process.

Thursday 10/21
Virtual Community Feedback Session from 7-8 p.m.
Zoom link will be provided

Wednesday 10/27
In-Person Community Feedback Sessions from 9-10 a.m., 1-2 p.m., & 7-8 p.m.
District Center, 517 Deerfield Road

Click here to sign up for a feedback group and find out more information about the process.