ZION Development

10/12/2026

The City of Rockford Government has its annual HOME and Community Development Block Grant funding plan out for review. Please check out the Rockford Area YIMBY post with all the links to ensure your voice is heard and you can help guide city funding for these U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development federal pass through dollars. NOTE: YIMBY placed survey and file links in the comments to the YIMBY post.

10/12/2026

ZION Development followers... We seek you help in finalizing our strategic plan. At the link below you will find a draft that has been co-created with neighbors, stakeholders, partners, and our Board. As we work to bring this home, we are hopeful we can gather your input to guide our final version.

We hope to have all comments by November 1st, 2026.

To submit your comments, please look to the link in the post comments for a survey page link where you can participate in a Q/A to submit your thoughts and edits.

Thank you!

09/21/2026

Had a chance to visit the Rancho Supermarket on Kishwaukee here in the neighborhoods of Zion.

What a great addition to our community - great fresh food assortments and selection, reasonable prices, and a taqueria too!

Check them out!

08/28/2026

Noon Zealous and King Moosa - Welcome to the neighborhood!

Check out their new Pop Up Shop at 522 7th Street ❤️

https://www.rockrivercurrent.com/2026/08/creative-hub-for-artists-entrepreneurs-opens-in-rockfords-midtown/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAT-pshwZG9mBWZkaWQWUNUdPqTx7F03tI0HYXVPhz52crnVDWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5bVzfGydBn8VAGYmEQCKUp52Yx2pHaCR8zRjRAGcP1zw_VLv-xWOtCsHJFFg_aem_xOZOcOcR3v4ffomLUqIdyQ

By Kevin Haas Rock River Current Get our mobile app ROCKFORD — A new business envisioned as a creative hub for artists and entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their work has opened in Midtown. The Pop Up Shop, 522 Seventh St., is designed to give a rotating cast of vendors a chance to sell from

08/24/2026

As rental costs rise, opportunities for local non-profits become more difficult to fund. In this assessment scarcity has driven up the cost of rents and multifamily asset values, driving most sales to go to out of town investors. These outside investments are not necessarily "bad" however, the cost escalations do limit local opportunities, make tenants pay the price, and cause local housing nonprofits to raise more funds to close acquisition transaction.

We are glad to see recent City of Rockford Government policy considerations to address zoning, policy, and process - all aimed to help lower the costs of housing development - including apartments.

What happens when a city's leaders fear expansion of multi-family housing stock? In this City of Rockford Illinois review, it seems the potential results they claimed, coming from a position of fear vs. fact, come true - out of town ownership being a primary one. And, in the midst of those actions, scarcity has driven rental prices up, and housing burden rose to a current 50.6% - meaning more than half of renters pay more than 30% for housing costs. Article link in comments below.

07/29/2026

The permit numbers, Illinois at 157 per 100,000 residents, places us second from the bottom in our nation for housing production.

The numbers tell the story of restricting land use regulations, slow permit times, and other local restricting government regulations and legislative challenges, coupled with slow wage growth. While the barriers that hold us back are now being addressed, we need to do more.

We must do better.

Families and neighborhoods, like the neighborhoods of our Midtown District are depending on it. A lack of housing supply has driven up prices (for sale and for rent) and are threatening the stability of Rockford families and our community.

A lack of housing is a workforce issue. Its an economic issue. Its a family stability issue. Its a neighborhood challenge.

At ZION, we aim to rise to that challenge. Please join us on August 20th for our stakeholder meeting. Details in the banner at the top of this page. Please join us!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 Here is the question nobody wants to answer: Ca...

06/24/2026

We, agree with the thanks by Rockford Area YIMBY!

What does this legislation mean to ZION?
For a community development corporation such as ZION Development Corporation, the Act is less a new direct funding stream than a set of tools that could make local housing work easier to finance, approve, and deliver. Its practical value would be in using improved or more flexible federal programs—especially HOME, CDBG, housing counseling, rehabilitation, disaster-recovery, and planning-related tools—alongside local funds to acquire, rehabilitate, infill, or develop affordable homes.

The important limitation is that the Act does not itself solve ZION’s capital gap or override Rockford’s zoning and local approval processes; its impact will depend on HUD implementation, appropriations, and whether the City of Rockford, Winnebago County, lenders, and regional partners translate the new flexibility into local programs and funding priorities.

With this, we call upon the powers of authority at the City of Rockford to interpret the new flexibility in this hopeful to be law in a manner that equitable spurs housing development, community development, and homeownership in our city. And, that we encourage our local CDCs to be an active partner in this work.

A landmark housing affordability bill is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after winning overwhelming support in Congress this week, setting the stage for the most sweeping federal housing packa...

06/22/2026

Looking for more on where to find affordable or subsidized housing in one location? Try this new Illinois Pathways to Housing website to access almost all things housing and housing access:

Welcome to the Illinois Pathways to Housing site. Here you can find resources and information to help you connect with housing and related services throughout the state of Illinois.

05/20/2026

Interested in a sign? Want to promote housing in the City of Rockford? DM Ron Clewer with your address and we will make sure you get a sign or signs. Be sure to state which (or both) signs you want. May is National Fair Housing Month!

Attention YIMBYs - The PlatFORM Group has officially launched its promotion of the campaign to spotlight its video series* and bring added attention to the need to build. Build what? Housing of course!

As part of the campaign, the PlatFORM Group has these great signs to offer you (FREE) to place in your yard as a means to promote housing. If you would like one (Home not for sale or Every family deserves a home), or one of each, and you live here in City of Rockford, please DM me with your address and I will make sure you get it/them. Supplies are limited so please hurry.

The bottom of the sign has a QR code that brings interested parties to the video. *1st video in the comments - please share far and wide.

Also, we need 10 brave souls who don't mind a video camera over their shoulder as you place the sign in your yard. The video will help release the 2nd video in early June. Video won't capture your face or your home address, just placement.

I look forward to your messages and getting your sign(s) to you!

04/15/2026

Many thanks to all who came out today to the Zion discussion on affordable housing in our community! Don't forget to join us in advocacy at Rockford Area YIMBY!

Ron Clewer, Chief Executive Officer of Zion Development, led a discussion on the critical shortage of affordable housing for low- and middle-income families during Katie’s Cup’s monthly…