The Land Use Commission sparred over language used to describe housing in the Envision Evanston 2045 comprehensive plan Wednesday. 

Envision Evanston is a sweeping overhaul of city policy that has continued to attract a bevy of controversy since Mayor Daniel Biss unveiled the plan in February 2024. Critics seized on the plan, arguing against its proposal to eliminate single-family zoning restrictions and castigating Biss’ early push to adopt it with speed.    

In response, City Council split the comprehensive plan from the associated zoning rewrite in January. On Wednesday, the Land Use Commission made line-by-line edits to the comprehensive plan, which is divided into thematic chapters.

Commissioners clarified existing points of the plan while removing specific provisions they called contrary to the “aspirational” spirit of the comprehensive plan. 

The most contentious proposed change concerned the housing chapter. The shift aimed to replace a directive to “increase housing supply and housing choices” with one to “preserve Evanston’s diverse housing choices.” The commissioners ultimately passed an amalgamation of the two. 

Commissioner Max Puchtel staunchly opposed the change, which he said used “coded language” to protect single-family zoning. 

“I read that as a step backward from the purpose of what we’re trying to do here in terms of providing zoning reform and more housing access points, more pricing points and generally increasing access,” Puchtel said. 

Meanwhile, Commissioner Brian Johnson said the change was more reflective of community feedback and existing diversity in the city’s housing options. Commissioner Darush Mabadi agreed, saying he didn’t see a need to “reinvent (Evanston’s) zoning ordinance.”

Puchtel rejected Johnson’s sentiment and said Biss’ reelection demonstrated community support for reforms the mayor had spearheaded.

Commissioner Loren Berlin sided with Puchtel, arguing the commission should focus on the “bigger picture” question of whether the city has enough housing. 

Further housing discussion centered on goals to use innovative construction technology, and the logistics of down-payment assistance and property tax relief programs. 

Much of the commission’s initial discussion centered on preservation. Puchtel took issue with wording in the plan that he said overemphasized safeguarding the integrity of existing buildings.  

“I just wanted to make sure that the language in here is striking the intent of the balance between preservation and modern flexibility,” Puchtel said. 

Puchtel sought the addition of policy statements that reflect this flexibility. 

Commissioners also suggested that city staff broaden language relating to future use of specific city buildings, including the Evanston Police Headquarters and the old Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Ave.

“We absolutely have to replace the Police (Headquarters),” Mabadi said. “And the Civic Center — there’s really no practical use for the existing design of that facility.”

Still, Mabadi suggested the plan more broadly target “functionally obsolete buildings” and their future use, as opposed to directly addressing these two structures as it does now. 

In addition, commissioners debated statements in the plan’s health and well-being chapter that identified a goal to mitigate environmental hazards, such as brownfield sites. While Commissioner Jameika Mangum wanted to strengthen the statement to aim to “eliminate” these hazards, Mabadi said he was worried about cost. 

“Isn’t the health of the community more important (than costs)?” Mangum said. 

Mabadi said he wanted the plan to transfer some of this responsibility to developers so that the city wasn’t solely responsible.  

The meeting ended with a lengthy debate over the value of the chapter on community input. While some proposed to completely cut the chapter, others thought it was important to represent the divided feedback the document received.

“I think as a historical document, it’s really important we capture the fact that people are very deeply conflicted,” Berlin said. 

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