Debate over the availability of affordable housing in downtown Evanston stalled aldermen Monday from approving a new 12-story residential building.

City officials voted to delay the approval of plans for a development to be built at 1571 Maple Ave. with more than 100 living units. The plans will be reconsidered at a later meeting.

Council members questioned the lack of affordable housing included in the proposal and touched on the issue of its availability in all of Evanston. Ald. Delores Holmes (5th) said she was “very disturbed” there was not any housing in the downtown area for low- and middle-income residents.

The proposed building would include 101 available units, with single bedroom residences averaging $1900 per month and two-bedroom units averaging $2600 per month, developer John McLinden said at Monday’s Council meeting. He said the prospective pricing was in line with that of similar buildings in the area and that it was unfair for aldermen to bring up cost issues in the “eleventh hour.”

The discussion of affordable housing led officials to mull possible solutions, including implementing a citywide ordinance that requires a certain amount of units for affordable housing. Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) suggested using the city’s affordable housing fund to aid developers in creating less expensive accommodations.

“We could use that money to help assist families to go into this building,” Rainey said. “You can’t really put people through a long process, then dump this on them at the last minute.”

Residents and city officials also raised concerns over the distance of the available parking spaces from the building itself, as well as the building’s impact on neighboring residents.

The new building’s proposal included leasing about 101 parking spaces from the public parking garage on Maple Avenue — located about a quarter-mile from the proposed high-rise.

Many aldermen said they were unhappy parking was so remote, but the building’s developers said parking in the immediate vicinity was not possible, due to the space’s “L” shape.

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said Evanston residents had raised concerns that the building would block the views of their units in the surrounding area. The new high-rise could have a negative impact on property values of units whose views are blocked, Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) said.

Aldermen also unanimously approved Monday to expand the distance to 350 feet between any possible location of firearms range and that of a child care facility, including schools, public parks, and daycares.

The ordinance was brought to council in early March to align with new state and federal regulations. Officials first voted to make the proposed buffer zone 500 feet, but revised the law to ensure constitutional gun rights were not violated.

Council will continue to discuss the plans for the Maple Avenue building at its April 13 meeting.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the date on which aldermen will discuss the Maple Avenue building. The topic will be revisited at the council’s April 13 meeting. The Daily regrets the error.

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