The Evanston Police Department relocated its Howard Street outpost one block west of its former location at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday.

The outpost, now located at 745 Howard St., first opened at 633 Howard St. in July 2001. The location was originally established to help anchor EPD to the 8th Ward and allow officers to network and collaborate with south Evanston residents.

EPD hosts open meetings with officers at the outpost to help garner community input and hear localized concerns.

The former space is now in talks to become a restaurant. The northern side of Howard Street, which marks the cutoff between Evanston and Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood, currently features two other restaurants — Ward Eight and the Peckish Pig.

“The relocation of the outpost from the 600 block of Evanston’s Howard Street to the 700 block is a direct result of a thriving business community that continues to attract retail and food-related establishments to the corridor,” Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said in a news release. “It will be great to have the Evanston Police Department continue to have a presence on the street.”

In addition to the new police outpost, the city also has plans for Howard’s 700 block to play host to a new Howard Street Theater. City Council voted to hire an architect to design an initial drawing for the theater in September.

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