Envision Evanston, a proposal for a comprehensive 20-year plan with goals for housing, business, transportation and more, is now in the final stretch of consideration from the city, leading up to a deadline of mid-August.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss the plan at Special City Council meetings on June 24 and July 21 at 7 p.m., which the public is welcome to attend, according to the city’s spokesperson, Cynthia Vargas.
The plan stalled in January after receiving pushback from residents concerned about the city’s zoning and land use plans. Critics said the plan would allow too much density, in all of Evanston as well as downtown.
The comprehensive plan is still in a draft phase, and is susceptible to additional edits by the City Council.
Eighth Ward City Councilmember and former chair of the Land Use Commission Matt Rodgers told Pioneer Press while the current version of the plan is a vast improvement over the first draft he saw when he chaired the commission, he still has reservations about missing or incomplete information.
“I would not vote ‘yes’ on the plan as it is, but with some tweaks and clarifications, I can see a path forward,” Rodgers said.
With a 7-1 recommendation from the Land Use Commission, Envision Evanston 2045 is now headed to the Evanston City Council for consideration before the August deadline.
The June 24 and July 21 Special City Council meetings, which will welcome input, are in addition to the Regular City Council meetings, Vargas said. All take place at 909 Davis Street, Evanston. The City Council has yet to determine what those additional meetings will look like, Vargas said.
According to Rodgers, the Special City Council meetings will not include town hall style meetings in which residents can ask questions of city staff and City Council about the Envision Evanston proposal.
“We’ve talked about creating special rules for our meetings to allow for longer public comment, but I don’t know if those rules will allow for Council responses to citizen questions or not,” Rodgers said.
Meanwhile, the City Council will need to make a decision before its August deadline to comply with state and local laws. “If the City Council does not take action within that timeframe, another public hearing must be held, which can be with either the City Council or the Land Use Commission,” Vargas said.
Some Councilmembers are using their ward meetings to discuss Envision Evanston, with those discussions already being held for the 1st, 4th and 7th Wards, Rodgers said. The 8th Ward will have its meeting on July 10, with plans in the works to have councilmembers from the 3rd and 9th Ward join. Rodgers said he and 6th Ward City Councilmember Tom Suffredin are considering a combined 6th/8th Ward virtual meeting.
“Some of these are Zoom discussions, and a couple are using the world cafe model with the League of Women Voters as moderators, so there will be different opportunities to gain public input,” Rodgers said.
Separate from the comprehensive plan is a plan to update the city’s zoning code. Both were meant to be approved by the City Council as a package with one guiding the other, but those plans were derailed after pushback from residents who wanted the city’s zoning code to continue to allow single-family homes and prohibit duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes (two-, three- and four-flats) from being built on certain blocks.
“In my informal conversations with some other members of Council, there is an appetite to have town halls once we get into the Zoning Ordinance and the details,” Rodgers said.
Throughout the drafts and public meetings regarding Envision Evanston, it has been mired in controversy. Opponents have organized public comment sessions against the city’s planned densification that could change the cityscape downtown and in their own neighborhoods, and advocates have insisted that more businesses and housing in Evanston will make the city more affordable and energy efficient.
Those points of view have been expressed in conversations about a proposed 31-story apartment building in downtown Evanston, which would be the tallest residential building in Cook County outside of Chicago, and in the selection process of a pick for a vacancy on the city’s Land Use Commission.
Mayor Daniel Biss, a proponent of Envision Evanston, released a statement after the Land Use Commission gave its recommendation on the final draft of the comprehensive plan.
“I’m appreciative of the Land Use Commission members for investing a tremendous amount of time and care into this process. I’m excited that the comprehensive plan now comes to Council, and I know that all Councilmembers are looking forward to digging in and doing their part to deliver a terrific plan for the whole community.”
Rodgers emphasized his concerns with the draft in its current state.
“There are still some issues that are not included in this draft which I feel would be important in the City’s vision for the next 20 years. Council should provide input on the top-line items — density, parking, sustainability, public spaces, etc.— and if necessary, ask LUC [Land Use Commission] to address issues that are not clear, or lacking,” he said.
