Although Wednesday’s Evanston Land Use Commission meeting began in a similar fashion to previous meetings — where commissioners criticized Envision Evanston 2045’s brisk timeline — this time it wrapped with a decision to delay the process.
When Evanston residents and commissioners are handed an updated 200-page document Feb. 21, the commission will not have to pitch a final vote the following week to propel the comprehensive rezoning and construction plan to City Council. Multiple additional meetings will have to intervene before a final vote, the commission decided.
The meeting opened with comments from Policy Manager Alison Leipziger describing the proposed timeline, which was initially set to give the community the finalized second draft Feb. 21 and expect a final vote Feb. 26.
In his final meeting as commission chair, Matt Rodgers said the public would need more than five days to parse the predicted 200-page document.
“We don’t have time for the public to weigh in,” Rodgers said. “The public is still commenting on a document that is now three months old.”
Multiple commissioners said four additional meetings after Feb. 26 would allow for enough compromise between residents and officials.
Commissioner Brian Johnson also pointed out the need for a more flexible timeline to allow for input from residents.
“I don’t want to send it to City Council without a consensus from us and the community,” Johnson said.
On the possibility of releasing a draft sooner, Leipziger said it would not be possible to create a draft with complete graphs and visual elements by an earlier date, which commissioners said is essential considering the landscaping changes to the city.
The first resident to take the lectern was Central Street Neighbors Association President Jeff Smith, who outlined the history of Central Street and argued that zoning changes have stripped the city’s history from one of its most recognizable areas.
Smith said he does not see the need to make changes, such as upzoning, that would increase the height and density of downtown buildings.
“What exists on Central Street right now is a big part of why people move here and what maintains the values to help fund our schools and local governments,” he said.
He also critiqued past action to develop the downtown area, describing Fountain Square as having “all the charm of eating a picnic on the median strip of the Kennedy Expressway.”
Design Evanston Vice President David Galloway also delivered a presentation that prompted officials to include more visual examples of how rezoning would affect the city’s unique physical attributes in the next draft. He also cited the importance of working on an affordable housing scheme.
Commissioner George Halik responded, stating that he agreed with Galloway and called for a working group of professionals to incorporate an affordable housing scheme into the next draft.
“What we’re talking about now, and everyone has said this, will not give us affordable housing,” he said. “That should be part of the implementation in the housing section.”
Evanston resident and 3rd Ward candidate John Kennedy said one of the key points that stands out to him about the document is the traction it has gained in recent weeks among residents in his ward.
Kennedy reiterated the words of multiple residents, calling for a slowed timeline of Envision Evanston 2045.
“They all know about this,” he said. “They didn’t two months ago. This is a major community engagement opportunity.”
To conclude the meeting, the commission voted to elect Jeanne Lindwall, a former city employee, to be its new chair.
Email: claramartinez2028@u.northwestern.edu
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— Land Use Commission questions need for Envision Evanston rezoning overhaul
— Land Use Commission debates Envision Evanston 2045 comprehensive plan
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