On the surface, the scene remained largely unchanged from two weeks ago at the Civic Center. Evanston’s City Council, turn by turn, fervently debated the Healthy Buildings Ordinance.

But this time, when the time came for the final vote, the council was in full agreement. It would postpone the vote until the next meeting — again.

At the Monday evening rendezvous, Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) and Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) led the charge to table the vote.

“I need some basic information about how (the Healthy Buildings Ordinance) is going to be realistically operationalized so I can explain this to my community,” Burns said.

Nieuwsma said he met with Northwestern representatives who convinced him that the University’s concerns about implementing the ordinance were legitimate. Burns said he needed more time to collaborate with stakeholders to determine how the ordinance would be implemented and its impact on property values.

The ordinance would require buildings with more than 20,000 square feet to eliminate on-site emissions and use only renewable energy by 2050. It would also apply to city-owned buildings with more than 10,000 square feet. 

City Council previously tabled the ordinance on Jan. 27 for similar reasons. At that meeting, the divided dais cited vocal opposition to the ordinance and confusion over stakeholders’ role in the implementation process.

The decision to table the ordinance faced less dispute, with key stakeholders’ positions well-known. Evanston/Skokie District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202 reversed course to support the ordinance, while NU remains skeptical.

After Deputy City Manager Stephen Ruger presented the council with proposed amendments to the ordinance, drafted by Nieuwsma and the Building Electrification Working Group, councilmembers concurred that they needed more time to consider the amendments before passing the ordinance.

“What I would like to do is have a quick meeting with building owners to say, ‘Okay, now that we know the terms, what’s your reaction to it?’” Burns said. “Does it make these projects more feasible?”

The proposed amendments include establishing a public rulemaking process, including the possibility of contentious carbon credits in Alternative Compliance Pathway Plans, allowing rejections of alternative compliance proposals to be appealed and clarifying that alternative compliance requests will not be “unreasonably denied by the city manager.”

Residents expressed divergent views on the ordinance during public comment. While several NU and Evanston Township High School students advocated for its passage, landlords and realtors raised concerns about the financial strain of repairs, tenant displacement and potential rent spikes.

“The amount of work required to comply is so expensive that we call this the ‘evict your tenants and raise their rent ordinance,’” landlord Aron Bornstein said.

Later in the meeting, Nieuwsma countered that the alternative compliance pathways would help property owners shoulder the costs of renovations and prevent tenant displacement.

Nieuwsma proposed an amendment that would increase the percentage of fine revenue that goes to a local decarbonization fund, helping property owners who qualify on a need-basis.

On Sunday, University President Michael Schill published a letter in the Evanston RoundTable promising future NU collaboration on the technical aspects of the ordinance — including funding — if the council further revised the ordinance. Schill wrote that the city should solidify the implementation process before passing the ordinance, and added that local stakeholders should participate in its revision.

Monday’s decision did not propose a collaboration with NU on the ordinance before the final vote. However, according to Burns, it gives stakeholders more time to ruminate on the ramifications of the ordinance.

“I’d like at least another meeting to finish up those conversations,” he said. “I’m working to get a yes on this. And so again, we’re close.”

Email: [email protected]

X: @IsaiahStei27

Email: [email protected]

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