It took over an hour and a half of deliberation and wordsmithing, but the Evanston City Council Monday night unanimously approved a scope of services document to guide the selection of a consulting firm to help update the zoning code.
Most of the discussion was around an updated section regarding an independent analysis that would evaluate the likely impact of proposed zoning changes on things including: housing supply, density, population growth, affordability, school enrollment, displacement risk and fiscal sustainability.
Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) attempted to amend the document by proposing language specifying that the impact analysis would be done by a third-party independent of the selected zoning consultant, along with further requirements of what the analysis would include.
With Ald. Parielle Davis (7th) absent, Council members were evenly split on the amendment. Burns and Alds. Juan Geracaris (9th), Krissie Harris (2nd) and Shawn Iles (3rd) voted in favor, while Alds. Tom Suffredin (6th), Matt Rodgers (8th), Clare Kelly (1st) and Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) voted against. Mayor Daniel Biss broke the tie by voting against it.
However language from that amendment requiring the consulting team to have members with expertise in urban economics, quantitative land use modeling, housing market analysis and municipal fiscal impact analysis was approved 7-0, with Suffredin absent from the vote.
Meanwhile, council members unanimously approved an amendment from Rodgers that split the community assessment and zoning code drafting phases into two separate sections, after Kelly raised concerns about coupling them.
Some other changes made to the document prior to the Monday’s meeting included language specifying that provisions of the existing zoning code would carry over regardless if it’s a full rewrite, or limited update.
Some alders expressed the belief that there wasn’t as significant of a difference between both approaches as some made it to believe.
“What’s really important is the outcome,” said Nieuwsma. “Whether we start from the existing document, or we start with a blank piece of paper and come up with a new document, in any case, we’re going to be looking at what we have and copying and pasting what we like and what works.”
Another revision was the removal of a suggested timeline that proposed originally starting work on the new zoning code in the second half of this year, with final adoption potentially not happening until the end of 2028.
Several community feedback responses urged that the proposed timeline be shortened.
The document instead now ask proposals to include their own anticipated timeline but notes that the city emphasizes that “quality prioritized over expediency”.
City staff also sought guidance from the council on whether to add community members to the zoning work group. However most alders voiced their preference keeping the composition of two council members and two Land Use Commission members.
