Morris Robinson envisions a day when Howard Street is as popular as downtown Evanston. “The idea is to make Howard a thriving, successful, residential and commercial hub,” said Robinson, the city’s economic development planner.

But the street has not yet reached that goal, and Robinson said the city has faced several obstacles in trying to improve the area.

“Every effort that we could make to stimulate development has met with measured success, but it still has not passed that final barrier where people want to come to Howard Street,” he said.

The only remaining alternative is to pursue the feasibility of a Tax Increment Financing district, he said.

In order to create a TIF district — which uses money generated by increased tax revenues to pay for improvements in blighted areas — the city must prove to the state that the neighborhood cannot be repaired any other way.

Adopting a suggestion from the city’s economic development committee, the Evanston City Council voted Feb. 10 to spend up to $52,500 to explore whether a TIF district could help stimulate growth along Howard Street. The district would begin at the corner of Ridge Avenue and Howard Street and continue east to the city limits.

The city hired Kane McKenna & Associates, a Chicago consulting firm, to determine if the Howard area meets criteria for becoming a TIF district. If it does, Kane McKenna will devise a redevelopment plan.

“They have just begun gathering the data for the eligibility and qualifications report, and they’ll go from there,” said Judith Aiello, assistant city manager.

But Marvin Juliar, a member of the Economic Development Committee, said the committee scrutinizes each proposal and Howard was not guaranteed a TIF.

“We’ve done it in the past, and we have rejected it also in the past,” Juliar said.

If approved, the TIF district would add to a number of other programs designed to spur growth on Howard. Recent area projects include a $3 million streetscape joint venture between Evanston and Chicago, the development of the Gateway Plaza next to the Howard El stop and the redevelopment of the El station.

“It’s a very good time to move on a development like this,” said Bill Stafford, Evanston’s finance director.

If a TIF district is created, Stafford said it may be used to entice developers to build homes and apartments along Howard.

“This (TIF proposal) is really designed to get some new residential development,” Stafford said.

Some developers already had expressed interest, even though the plan is in its preliminary phases, Robinson said.

Juliar said the area could use money to encourage new development.

“The area that we’re speaking of now really needs some help,” he said.

Howard projects such as the Gateway Shopping Plaza have fostered safety in the area, said Mary Matanovic, a branch manager at First Commercial Bank, 2201 W. Howard St.

“Gateway helped the whole neighborhood,” Matanovic said.

She expects that further improvements will help businesses in the area.

“The area is improving immensely,” she said. “Everybody’s trying to fix up their properties.”