Mounting worries of invasion by the giant new homes nicknamed “McMansions” could end if Evanston City Council approves a new policy for the city’s Sixth Ward.
The Plan Commission voted Wednesday to recommend a special zoning district for residential areas in the Sixth Ward that some commission members said should be extended to the entire city.
“The purpose is to take a look at the issue of very large houses being let in areas with very small homes,” said Lawrence Widmayer, chairman of the Plan Commission. “It’s having both a negative impact on their neighbors and their properties.”
Earlier this summer, aldermen passed a moratorium in the Sixth Ward that halted residential construction projects until Dec. 6. This came after Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) said he noticed developers tearing down homes and building larger houses that didn’t conform with the surrounding residences.
These developers still must obey Evanston’s zoning laws, but Moran said they build the new houses to occupy the maximum allowable space. Moran said the new homes’ unwieldy size upsets the neighborhood by leaving little space between lots.
“People think they are, as the Jeffersons say, ‘Movin’ on up to the East Side,'” he said. “But what (the homeowners) don’t care about or know is that it’s difficult for their neighbors.”
The Plan Commission’s proposal, if approved by City Council, would create a conservation district that would supercede zoning laws in the Sixth Ward. Unlike a historic district designation, this kind of district aims to preserve a neighborhood’s traditional character rather than historical or architectural value.
Many Sixth Ward residents came out Wednesday in support of the district, and said these large homes are the result of poor planning.
“They’re monstrous because there’s no brains behind them,” said Evanston resident and architect Barry Greenberg. “It’s lousy architecture, lousy development and you’ll end up with a lousy neighborhood.”
But for residents who hope to build new homes, the ordinance could halt their plans.
Evanston resident Larry Magill was going to build a larger home on his property, but the moratorium stopped him and his family before they could break ground.
“The home we are trying to build is consistent with homes in Evanston,” he said. “We were going to be here for a while, but if this ordinance is passed we may have to move.”
The proposal will now head to the Planning and Development Committee. If approved there, it will be considered by the full council.
Though members of the commission entertained the idea of extending the rezoning to the entire city, some said they feared alderman would oppose a citywide change.
“That throws a political element into it,” said associate Plan Commission member Steve Samson. He added that if the commission proposes a citywide plan, it would surely be rejected by council.
“This will be another footnote in Evanston history that was a good idea that was for naught,” he said.
