The Evanston City Council last week took a historic step as it adopted an ordinance, the first such ordinance in Illinois, aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions created by large buildings.
Aldermen on March 10 voted 7-1 to pass the Healthy Buildings Ordinance, or HBO. The ordinance calls for buildings over 20,000 square feet —and municipal buildings over 10,000 square feet — to be powered by renewable electricity and create zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The ordinance will apply to nearly 500 apartment and commercial buildings in Evanston. Condominium buildings under 50,000 square feet and co-op buildings would be excluded from the requirements of the ordinance.
The ordinance’s key targets are creating energy efficiency and renewable electricity while eliminating on-site emissions, city leaders say.
“This was a collaborative effort among City Council members, staff, and numerous community partners to find common ground on achieving our sustainability goals,” Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss said in a statement issued by the city. “We are taking a monumental step toward a more sustainable Evanston.”
Illinois Green Alliance, a Chicago-based nonprofit promoting sustainable and green building initiatives, applauded the adoption of the Healthy Buildings Ordinance in a statement issued shortly after the March 10 vote.
“The Healthy Buildings Ordinance is not only a first for Illinois, it is an important step towards our vision to decarbonize every building in Illinois,” said Brian Imus, executive director of Illinois Green Alliance, in the statement.
Jack Jordan, executive director of Climate Action Evanston, called the HBO an “absolutely necessary step” for the city to reach already established climate action goals.
“The largest 500 buildings in Evanston account for approximately half of our community emissions, and this mandate allows us to rein in these emissions over the next 25 years,” Jordan said.
“While Evanston is the first community in Illinois to pass a building performance standard, we cannot be the last. Other communities with climate goals, including Chicago, which recently published a climate action plan in 2022, must pass similar standards if they are serious about their climate commitments.”
Ryan Wilmington, policy and communications associate for Illinois Green Alliance, said the ordinance will result in a “dramatic reduction” in greenhouse gases and pollution.
“Evanston’s new policies show that local leaders have the power to make their communities healthier, more affordable, and more sustainable,” he added. “It’s a great model for other Illinois municipalities to follow.”
The process is not yet complete, however. The next step will be to create rules and standards that building owners will need to meet. These will be developed by a Healthy Buildings Accountability Board and a Healthy Buildings Technical Committee.
The Neighborhood Building Owners Alliance, the Chicagoland Apartment Association, and the Building Owners and Managers Association will nominate three members of the technical committee, according to amendments approved by the Council.
Additionally, the Accountability Board will be required to report annually to the City Council on the impact the ordinance has had on residential and commercial affordability.
Building owners unable to meet the parameters of the ordinance can submit a plan for alternative compliance, the city said.
Some aldermen noted that there is much to be clarified during the rule-making process.
Eighth Ward Ald. Devon Reid expressed concerns of potential legal challenges with portions of the ordinance as it stands, while 5th Ward Ald. Bobby Burns stressed that the ordinance will not be enforceable until after the series of rules are adopted by the City Council.
“What I’m still hearing is people are kind of assuming the worst,” Burns said. “They are jumping way ahead of the process and assuming this will be applied in the most destructive and disruptive way possible. And I don’t think that’s fair.”
Some building owners who would be impacted by the ordinance again expressed concerns and objections prior to the council’s vote.
Eric Paset, owner of North Shore Apartments and Condos, Inc., suggested that real estate could suffer under the ordinance as buyers will go elsewhere.
“It’s going to affect tenants; the rents are going to be raised,” Paset added.
Peter O’Brien, an Evanston resident and commercial property owner, said it may be difficult for building owners to work with ComEd on conversions, based on his own, current experience, and said the ordinance will give the energy company “an extremely valuable, complete energy distribution monopoly in Evanston.”
First Ward Ald. Clare Kelly cast the only “no” vote against the ordinance, saying there is “so much more we should be doing immediately.”
“I feel like this (ordinance) has been a deterrent to moving more quickly to improve air quality right now,” she said.
