Chris and Nancy Hoppa had planned to build a six-foot addition atop their south Evanston home. But when they asked the city’s premission in January, they were told no.
Like any Evanston resident who owns a landmark home or property inside historic districts, the Hoppas cannot make significant changes to the outside of their home without approval by the Evanston Preservation Commission. The commission denied the Hoppas’ request for a change on the grounds that adding six feet would take away from the house’s historic character.
The Hoppas, who live at 610 Callan St., are appealing the Preservation Commission’s decision, becoming the first couple in Evanston to appeal the ordinance. They will argue before the city’s Planning and Development Committee on April 22. If successful, they then will go before to City Council for final approval.
“I believe this process is totally ludicrous,” Nancy Hoppa said Tuesday. “I’m in a position where I feel like I’m not even the homeowner. I feel like the Preservation Commission owns my home.”
Northwestern University faces a similar situation with the Northeast Evanston Historic District. Many university-owned buildings are located within the district, and NU cannot make changes to them without Preservation Commission approval. The university has not yet attempted to make structural changes to buildings within the district. But NU has sued the city, charging that the district was created simply as a means to limit university growth.
The Hoppas’ house was declared a landmark under an old set of rules, in which the Preservation Commission held only an advisory role. The commission could not prevent homeowners from making changes that diminished the historic value of their houses.
But under rules passed in 1994, the commission has the power to prevent homeowners from getting building permits for projects that violate the commission’s rules.
Nancy Hoppa wondered why her house wasn’t exempted from the 1994 rules.
Neil Sheehan, vice chairman of the Preservation Commission, said both the original ordinance and the modifications were passed by the council in an open process.
“Property owners could object (originally),” Sheehan said. “Property owners could have objected to the ordinance becoming binding.”
At the time the ordinance was passed, Sheehan said, it was necessary to make it weaker.
“Had the ordinance been binding (originally) there may have been more objection to the landmarking of certain properties and the preservation ordinance in general,” he said. “What changed was the steady progression of government. It will expand its mandate where it can.”
The Hoppas want to make their house taller to add two bedrooms, Nancy Hoppa said. Building an extension in back, which the Preservation Commission said would not violate the ordinance, would double the price of construction.
Judy Miller, who owns another landmark house at 814 South Blvd., said she understood the city’s need to preserve some historic architecture but added that preservation control should not be too restrictive.
“Because real estate is so costly at this point, people need to be able to redo their homes,” Miller said.
The dispute over the Hoppas’ house has another south Evanston resident questioning the proposed Oakton Historic District in the Eighth Ward.
Toshie Davis of 1108 Austin St. said she originally was skeptical toward the idea of living in a historic district but was willing to consider the proposal put forth by Jack Weiss and other community leaders. But reading the preservation ordinance convinced her that the district was a bad idea.
“When I went on to read the ordinance I found it extremely undemocratic,” Davis said.
Davis said she was disturbed by the rule in the ordinance that lets any Evanston resident make nominations for landmarks and historic districts, and the fact that community approval is not needed to establish a historic district.
She said efforts by historic district supporters to solicit community input were less than genuine.
“I’ve read documents that lead me to believe they don’t care what the community thinks,” Davis said.
Weiss, the leading proponent for the Oakton Historic District, said he has sought community input and has said in the past that he will not proceed without “overwhelming support” from the community. He said Davis has a skewed image of how the district project is being developed.
“She has a very distorted view of this process,” Weiss said. “There is no rationale to what she’s saying. There is nothing going on behind the community’s back.”
