The Evanston City Council will vote tonight on a proposed ordinance to better regulate vacant and boarded buildings, and aldermen also will hear a proposed ordinance that could rezone the property formerly occupied by Kendall College.
If passed the proposed ordinance on vacant buildings would require owners or their lawyers to register home foreclosures with Evanston as well as report when there are vacancies and property sales. After the city posts an “intent to condemn,” the city would have the right to demolish the property within 30 days.
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said the boarded buildings ordinance would affect at least one building in her ward, but she said the most immediate issue is to pass some legislation to regulate how Evanston handles such properties overall.
Tonight aldermen also will get a first look at proposed legislation that could rezone the property formerly used by Kendall College to a residential district zoned for single-family homes.
Chicago-based developer Smithfield Properties, LLC bought the land bounded by Sherman Avenue, Lincoln Street, Orrington Avenue and Colfax Street for $9 million last fall.
Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl (7th), whose ward encompasses the contested property, said Smithfield Properties probably will propose construction that well exceeds the limits set by residential district zoning, and the issue may go back to the city’s Planning and Development Committee.
“The developer is going to show a plan with 109 units on it, which is far more than (allowed by) any of our zonings,” Tisdahl said. She said she saw the plan and asked the developer to start again.
“I said, ‘Not enough green space,'” Tisdahl said. “And, ‘Go back to the drawing board and come back with a plan that is single-family, or show us why the economics don’t work and why we can’t do single-family.'”
Residents also said they are concerned that the proposed development for the land would not fit in with other family homes in that area.
In other business the Economic Development Committee will introduce a proposal tonight to allocate money through a Tax Increment Finance district to help redevelopment in the area near Howard Street and Ridge Avenue.
The Planning and Development Committee meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., and the Administration and Public Works Committee meeting will begin at 7 p.m. The City Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. All meetings will be held at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
On Wednesday the City Council will meet in a special session to discuss improvements to the Robert Crown Community Center, located at 1701 Main St. The meeting will be held at the Evanston Civic Center at 7 p.m.
Zoning and development
Evanston City Council will address these issues:
Rezoning former Kendall College property to residential for single-family homes.
A special Wednesday session will discuss improvements to the Robert Crown Community Center.
