When I began reporting for The Daily last fall, I was the education reporter and covered Evanston’s two school boards.
On my first assignment, I learned an invaluable lesson from Jerome Summers, a member of the District 65 Board of Education: “Evanston loves its diversity. A lot.”
At the time, I shrugged off the comment, assuming that every community appreciates diversity and that all elected officials throw around “diversity” as a talking point.
But after a year and a half reporting on Evanston politics since that meeting, I now realize that Summers was trying to tell me something more. Evanston is absolutely obsessed with its diversity.
The City Council seems to bring up the need for affordable housing at every meeting. Residents complaining about the proposed “tower” at 708 Church St. often argue that opening the city up to residential development will promote affluence and homogeneity. Evanston Township High School officials love to mention how many different languages their students speak at home.
Given this overwhelming pride in diversity, I cannot understand why residents and politicians have not questioned the city’s revitalization strategy in south Evanston.
James Wolinski retired as the city’s director of community development last spring. On his last day on the job, I caught him walking down the 100 block of Custer Avenue with an employee from the city’s public relations department, who was holding a video camera. He told they were making a movie documenting his most significant accomplishments as director, and I watched part of the filming.
During one segment, he pointed to a condominium building behind him and used it as an example to explain part of his revitalization strategy.
“This used to be the worst building in Evanston,” he said to the camera.
The building was once a poorly maintained apartment complex. After numerous housing ordinance violations, the city prosecuted the landlord and the courts handed over the property to Evanston.
Wolinski’s department, with the vocal support of Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), then ensured the building was sold to a condominium developer, rather than an owner who would rent the units.
The logic behind this strategy, of course, is that apartment complexes are usually more neglected than condos and south Evanston needed a shot in the arm.
But this strategy, no matter how effective it is, strips the city of its already limited opportunities for affordable housing.
Later that same day, I met several victims of this type of conversion. One of them was sitting on the sidewalk next to all of his possessions, holding out a cup for change. Another was looking for an apartment building with an open unit. They told me many of their former neighbors had moved south to Chicago, where housing was more affordable.
No one likes to look at a decrepit building or feel unsafe walking down a dangerous block in your own neighborhood. But socioeconomic diversity should never be sacrificed for revitalization, especially in Evanston.
