After spending hours debating Housing4All, Evanston’s new Strategic Housing Plan, City Council unanimously voted to advance an ordinance prohibiting “price-fixing” software in determining rental costs and other lease conditions at its Monday meeting.

Ald. Juan Gercaris (9th) introduced the ordinance, which penalizes the use of software designed to analyze private competitor information. The city would treat this as price-fixing, fining landlords $500 per violation each day.

Gercaris spoke in support of the ordinance during the brief window at the end of the meeting when Council discussed the issue.

“I think if we all heard that our four or five biggest housing providers met on a weekly basis to discuss what they’re charging for rent and to share information, we’d be really upset about that,” Gercaris said. “The fact that they’re doing this through an app is really concerning to me, and I think this is something we should tackle.”

Council also gave preliminary approval to a five-story, 30-unit apartment building on Emerson Street. The development will replace two older residential buildings next to the historic Ebenezer AME Church. Members of the church have raised concerns about the project.

Rev. Deborah Scott and some councilmembers requested input from the Preservation Committee, which will now hold an informational discussion on the development in place of a formal review and vote. The project is still not final and will return to Council for a final vote May 26.

“I’m just asking that the Council would take some time to reflect on what it is that we’re asking as a church,” Scott said during public comment Monday. “We’re asking that we just be made whole and remain whole before, during and after the development.”

Council voted to advance the potential sale of city-owned property on Main Street and an adjacent parking lot. If councilmembers approve the sale on May 26, it will clear the way for negotiations between the city and developer CityPads, which has proposed a mixed development of apartments and townhomes on the site.

On Monday, councilmembers and Mayor Daniel Biss shared their priorities for the negotiations.

“This is a pretty complicated area of Main Street and a complicated construction project, and so I think handling all of those different moving balls with a high degree of professionalism is gonna be critical,” Biss said.

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