By Vincent Bradshaw and Matt PresserThe Daily Northwestern

The Evanston City Council has spent more than five years trying to lay the foundation for what could become affordable housing for low-income families.

At Monday night’s Planning and Development Committee meeting, aldermen discussed possibilities for affordable housing but didn’t vote on the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, which has been in the works for about three years.

The ordinance would require new developers to make a portion of their development affordable for households earning less than $56,335, the median income for Evanston families. Otherwise, developers would be required to contribute to a fund for builiding affordable houses off site.

The Housing Commission recommended that developers only be able to opt out of 50 percent of the affordable units by paying the fees.

Aldermen struggled with whether such an ordinance could have negative impact on the housing market, which has been slowing down in Evanston, Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) said.

The ordinance could stop some developers from coming to the city, Wynne said. She proposed holding the item until the city staff could gather more information.

“We’re hitching ourselves to an economic engine that is really slowing down,” Wynne said. “If you look at what is coming into the city, it’s a trickle.”

Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) said the issue had been on the agenda for long enough and that the council should decide on the ordinance immediately. He said the city will feel effects of economic cycles whether the ordinance is in place or not.

Aldermen also expressed concern that the off-site developments would end up creating segregated communities, because developers would have the option of paying into an affordable housing fund. Residents of different income levels would live in opposite sides of the city rather than in the same building, they said.

Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said the wording of the current proposal would separate people of different income levels.

“This is an ordinance that lets you buy out,” she said.

At the following council meeting, members of the Evanston Environment Board urged the city to adopt principles of the Kyoto Protocol, an international plan to reduce global warming.

Aldermen agreed that Evanston should join more than 250 other cities in taking steps to curb greenhouse gas emissions. An ordinance will be drafted and presented at a future meeting.

The City Council also heard from about 20 Evanston residents who spoke out about a proposed regulation of beekeeping in Evanston.

The issue was introduced last May after neighbors objected to 14-year-old Gabriel Jacobs’ plans to keep 12,000 honeybees at his home.

The ordinance introduced Monday night would limit the number of hives per ward and impose setback requirements between hives and neighboring homes.

Neighbor Dolan McMillan brought the issue to the Human Services Committee in May, citing fears that the bees could pose a risk to his family.

Douglas Cannon, a lawyer representing 73 neighbors, said the regulations are a step in the right direction.

“There is a risk in raising bees,” he said. “There is a real risk.”

Medo Srndic, an Evanston beekeeper, said he was surprised how far the issue had gone because no legislation can fence bees in.

“With paper, no one can stop bees from coming,” he said. “With guns either.”

The City Council may take action on the bee issue at its next meeting on Oct. 9. They will also discuss a proposal to increase landlords’ rights.

Reach Vincent Bradshaw at [email protected]. Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].