Evanston’s Planning and Development Committee again delayed a decision Tuesday that could lead to the creation of a special zoning district in northwest Evanston, but some aldermen present took issue with the method of applying the proposed changes to only the Sixth Ward.
The zoning district was initially proposed to the committee in November after Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) said he noticed homes being torn down and replaced with larger ones, which some residents nickname “McMansions.” Beginning in June, Evanston City Council enacted a building ban in the Sixth Ward to stymie any further construction of these large homes. City Council extended the moratorium in December, but the building freeze will last only until mid-February.
The special conservation district, which was recommended by the Plan Commission in November, is an attempt to regulate development by mandating that new homes fit in the context of the neighborhood. Some of the regulations include height and size limitations.
But Evanston resident Renee Kapraun said she was not properly informed about the possible implications of enacting a ward-wide zoning blanket. Kapraun said that under the proposed height limitations, she could not add a second story to her house.
“It was never made known to us that we (possibly) couldn’t do this,” Kapraun said. “We have no intention to build a McMansion. It’s going to be just a two-story house.”
Ald. Arthur Newman (1st) said Kapraun’s reservations made him wary of extending this special designation over an entire ward, saying the idea might be better suited for single streets and blocks throughout the city.
“I want the option of having this district,” Newman said. “If people on a block are interested in this anywhere in the city, there should be an option or a way for them to have it.”
Newman said the committee should recommend a proposal to the full council that would give residents the option to ask for a zoning district in their neighborhoods. But he added the district should not be put in place anywhere yet.
Ald. Joseph Kent (5th) said more resident input would allow other parts of the city to benefit from the law.
“I almost like putting it in the hands of the residents of those blocks rather than blanketing the whole city or blanketing the whole Sixth Ward with it,” he said. “If it’s happening in the Sixth Ward, I’m quite sure it’s happening in the other (residential) districts.”
But Moran and other Sixth Ward residents said the new proposal could spell continuing problems for their neighborhoods.
“It’s a kiss of death,” Moran said. “It would lead to a delay that would defeat the entire purpose of this situation. I really don’t think it’s workable.”
Evanston resident Jeff Wilson said getting a majority of residents to agree to the proposal — much less any decision — would take too much time.
“By the time they get around to it, their block isn’t protected anymore,” he said. “We’re delayed by the process.”
Newman suggested the Sixth Ward moratorium be extended once again, but Ellen Szymanski — a lawyer for the city — said the legal department is concerned with a continuation of the building ban. The zoning district and possible moratorium extension will be discussed at the next Planning and Development meeting on Monday at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
