Opponents of an affordable housing proposal in Winnetka are celebrating the results of a recent Caucus survey, which recommends the village council abandon the subject.

The Caucus survey said the results on the topic were “unambiguous, by a 67 percent to 27 percent margin, survey respondents were against expanding Winnetka’s Affordable Housing Plan to set aside affordable housing units and provide tools to bridge the affordability gap for qualifying households.”

As a result, one of the group’s five recommended platform planks for the village council is to “promptly conclude discussions on the Affordable Housing issue for Winnetka” and “not adopt an expanded Plan.”

Village President Jessica Tucker responded in an email that she did not have time to respond to the Caucus platform, and did not respond to a follow-up email.

Gail Schechter, executive director of the Interfaith Housing Center of the Northern Suburbs, which has backed the affordable housing plan, expressed reservations about the survey’s presentation.

“I’m concerned with how the questions were worded and that they elicited a response that could be different if it were phrased in a different way,” Schechter said. “I don’t know what the Caucus is doing or thinking here, but it seems like they want to get rid of the whole issue because it seems to be too controversial.”

Schechter also highlighted the survey turnout.

The Caucus received 1,331 completed survey responses, up from 937 last year. This year’s responses represented 1,101 Winnetka households — about 27 percent of the village.

“That doesn’t provide a mandate about anything,” Schechter said. “That’s a pretty small number given the size of the town.”

She urged Tucker and the village council to keep affordable housing on the table.

“Just generally our culture makes you feel like it’s a character flaw if you’ve hit hard times, so you’re less likely to reach out (for help),” Schechter said. “I think the elected officials need to think about these people and think about how they’ll continue to not be served.”

Carry Buck, leader of the Winnetka Home Owners Association, which has campaigned for a year against the expanded affordable housing ordinance, isn’t ready to open the champagne just yet.

The recommended platform plank could still be altered at the Caucus Town Hall meeting Nov. 21. Village trustees could also decide to ignore the survey results and march forward with any of the proposal’s five components.

But Buck feels the end is near for the affordable housing issue.

“My hunch is that it’s going to go away,” Buck said. “I think they’ll follow the recommendations of the survey and the platform because it’s such a strong statement. The community really spoke.”

The Caucus platform said comments from survey respondents “revealed very little misinformation among respondents and only 6 percent of respondents were categorized as undecided/inconclusive on the issue of expanding the Affordable Housing Plan.”

The three top reasons people cited for opposing the affordable housing proposal were related to the role and priorities of local government, according to the report.

It says 85 percent of respondents indicated “village government should not be involved in determining who can live here and what prices can be charged for housing in Winnetka.”

Another 79 percent said the village “should focus on other priorities,” while 60 percent commented that “with Home Rule, Winnetka is not required to expand the (Affordable Housing) Plan.”

Winnetka voters opted in 2005 to make its local government home rule, and many residents have said the measure was specifically to allow the village to opt out of state mandates on non-home rule communities. That year, a simple affordable housing plan was adopted.

In the years since, the Winnetka Plan Commission has studied the issue, before making its recommendations to the Village Council in April before a Council Chamber packed with residents on both sides of the issue.

Buck and WHOA members also spearheaded a signature drive this summer to place two affordable housing-related advisory referenda on the March 2012 ballot. Those may be moot now, if trustees follow the Caucus platform’s recommendation.

“Hopefully this will all be behind us (by then),” Buck said, noting that the election will coincide with the Republican presidential primary and she expects a large turnout. “I think that will finish it off for good.”

The other four Caucus platform planks recommended for the Village Council were all related to storm water management, which trustees have agreed is their top priority. They are:

* The Village Council should continue to focus all available resources to finalize the Storm Water Management Plan, and determine funding sources to commence implementation of improvements without delay.

* The Village Council should use available cash reserves and then proceed with the creation of a Storm Water Utility Fund to fund the storm water management improvements.

* The Village Council should consider the implementation of special service areas as a means of additional funding for storm water improvements.

* The Village Council should direct staff to engage in an educational effort to increase the public’s awareness of flooding issues and means by which assistance with flooding issues can be obtained.

The Plan Commission’s affordable housing proposal includes six recommendations.

The three most controversial components of the Plan Commission’s plan are inclusionary zoning, a housing trust fund and a community land trust. After being sent back to the advisory panel for more consideration, Plan Commissioners voted to withdraw their recommendation regarding a community land trust.

Inclusionary zoning would require 15 percent of the units in new multi-family residential developments to be affordable; the creation of a community land trust would help people buy the affordable units; and a housing trust fund would help pay for the programs.

The other three plan commission recommendations were given by the village council to staff in April to draft ordinances for consideration at a later meeting — including establishing how the village would define housing to be “affordable,” revising village code to encourage downtown residential units, and relaxing a restriction on renting coach houses.

To date, none of the measures have been voted on by the village council.

To read the Caucus platform planks for the village, School District 36, Winnetka-Northfield Library District and Winnetka Park District, visit winnetkacaucus.org.