If every public official dreams of leaving a lasting legacy on their constituency, Mayor Daniel Biss is making the case for Envision Evanston 2045 to become his.
Introduced nearly 15 months ago, the sweeping 20-year roadmap for the city’s future has become all but synonymous with Biss himself — his political brainchild: bold in scope and stubborn in progress.
Initially framed as a local means of addressing a national affordable housing crisis, the plan also aims to reimagine transportation, overhaul infrastructure and deliver a host of other reforms. But that vision has encountered a bumpy road. Critics and contentious language have all slowed its journey.
In January, after an onslaught of criticism about the plan’s rushed timeline, City Council split the comprehensive plan from the associated rezoning overhaul.
Following a redraft from its original form in February, the comprehensive plan now lingers in the Land Use Commission, where debate over precise wording has stalled formal recommendations.
But now, a new council looks to the plan with both hope and concern. Potential state legislation may also impact its future.
New councilmembers weigh in
As Biss began his second term, three new faces entered the fray with a new council sworn in on April 28.
The new councilmembers hold similar views on the comprehensive plan and aim to maximize community input moving forward.
Both Ald. Shawn Iles (3rd) and Ald. Matt Rodgers (8th) criticized the plan’s initial timeline. Iles said that discussions around the “aggressive” nature of the first Envision Evanston draft dominated his campaign trail.
“As somebody who is in favor of plenty of aspects of it, I found myself defending something that I wasn’t a part of creating,” Iles said.
Still, these councilmembers supported the decision to decouple the comprehensive plan from the associated rezoning proposals. Ald. Parielle Davis (7th) described this move as “perfect” in an email to The Daily. Rodgers said he wanted to stop using the term “Envision Evanston” altogether to recognize that the two measures have been separated.
They also viewed the second draft as a major improvement from the first. All three said the second draft has more aptly incorporated community feedback.
Much of this feedback centered on how the original plan addressed housing. Some proponents of increasing housing density have said that doing so would make the city more affordable.
Rodgers proposed adding density above commercial buildings in certain corridors, like Howard Street. He said this idea would grow the housing market and the customer base for Evanston businesses.
“There are various areas in the city of Evanston that can see increased density, and it makes sense to have increased density,” Rodgers said.
Iles emphasized that he was not in favor of blanket up-zoning, and instead wanted to diversify the housing stock in Evanston. He also said four-flat zoning would not “move the needle” on affordable housing.
Instead, Iles is in favor of duplexes and other affordable housing options that exist in the envelope of a house, like attic apartments, basements and accessory dwelling units, which could accommodate residents at varying income levels.
“There’s a lot of naturally occurring affordable housing in the 3rd Ward, and I want to do my best to protect that,” Iles said.
Individually, Iles wants the plan to focus on transit-adjacent development. Rodgers, on the other hand, would like to see more direct references to future use of city-owned properties.
Both Rodgers and Iles highlighted the necessity for community involvement in the ongoing decision making process. Rodgers suggested that the city host town halls to hear and respond to concerns about the document in more detail.
“Ultimately, the comprehensive general plan and the zoning ordinance that results from that is not going to be my vision or the vision of nine councilmembers,” Rodgers said. “It’s everybody in the community.”
State legislature poses potential challenges
But Biss and the new aldermen aren’t the only ones looking to alter the zoning code in Evanston.
More than 200 miles down Interstate 55 in Springfield, members of the Illinois General Assembly have proposed legislation that could impact the way Envision Evanston and related zoning legislation is implemented.
Specifically, the Missing Middle Housing Act and Affordable Communities Act could complicate Evanston’s future zoning codes.
The Missing Middle Housing Act provides that all cities with a population greater than 25,000 allow the development of all “middle housing” types on plots larger than 5,000 square feet and the Affordable Communities Act includes language to regulate against preventing these developments.
Middle housing refers to diverse, multi-unit housing often situated alongside single-family homes. The bills mention duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, townhouses and cottage clusters as examples.
In contrast to the aspirational phrasing of the comprehensive plan, these zoning bills would set strict implementation deadlines for select zoning changes in 2026.
While they echo some of the changes more broadly defined in Envision Evanston, the state’s call for direct action conflicts with the city’s desire to slow the process and make space for further dialogue with constituents.
University of Illinois urban and regional planning Prof. Rolf Pendall said that despite the stricter language of the state bills, Illinois uniquely lacks the infrastructure to ensure swift implementation.
Unlike some states that have specific departments for housing and community development, Pendall said the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity do not have the same implementation power when enacting zoning measures.
Still, he said that if passed, the state legislation could prompt pivotal changes in Evanston.
“It shifts the politics at the local level,” Pendall said. “If there are local folks who want this kind of zoning reform, they (would) have something in the narrative that says, from the state level, this is required.”
In each of these two housing bills, home rule authority — the power to act independently of the state legislature — is also specifically negated.
Yet, much like Envision Evanston’s early sputterings, the changes proposed in the bills are not definite. Both pieces of legislation remain in the rules committee, but their sponsors are adamant about the necessity of the measures.
“Most municipalities would say: ‘We are elected to make the decisions that we feel are best for our community, and you should leave us to do that,’” said State Rep. Michelle Mussman (D-Schaumburg), one of two representatives to introduce House Bill 3288. “But if these municipalities are not self-selecting to modify their zoning laws and create opportunities for this other kind of development, then what?”
Biss told The Daily he thought it was “great” that the state was addressing the affordability crisis and that he welcomes zoning reform engagement at “all levels of government.”
While Biss understands the state’s capacity to evade home rule authority, he’s still hopeful for Envision Evanston to make an impact.
“We are a municipal government,” Biss said. “We have the ability to control our own destinies in terms of our land use policies, and I take that very seriously.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Land Use Commission debates alterations to Envision Evanston 2045
— New Envision Evanston draft deemphasizes higher-density housing
— Residents debate Envision Evanston and historic preservation in joint ward meeting
