Attend Wednesday's Land Use Commission hearing on citywide rezone

Note: Please attend the special Land Use Commission Hearing this Wednesday on the "Envision Evanston" Comprehensive Plan and Rezoning of Evanston at 6pm at the Civic Center. You may share your thoughts during the public comment period.

The time frame for “Envision Evanston 2045” Comprehensive Plan and rezoning of Evanston is rushed and reckless.

Far too many residents were taken by surprise last week by a postcard notification of the December 4th Land Use Commission hearing on “Envision Evanston 2045” Comprehensive Plan and Zoning rewrite. This process needs to slow down. A balanced and thoughtful approach that transcends the constraints of this political term, following a more typical and reasonable timeframe, is critical to crafting a well-developed comprehensive plan for Evanston that truly benefits the residents and businesses in the long run.

Comprehensive planning requires thoughtful analysis, meaningful community input, and a deep understanding of a city, its current needs and future growth. Our best planning has been both deliberate and respectful of the residents we serve. However, recent Envision Evanston proposals and presentations brought before the Land Use Commission (LUC) and other public gatherings have revealed a serious lack of thorough analysis, data, and understanding of Evanston’s complexity. Too few residents in Evanston have been engaged with this process. Of those who have participated, many have been alarmed by inadequate and even erroneous data and assumptions presented to committees, commissions and at public Envision Evanston events.
The City began this process in spring by hosting “visioning” sessions with various community and neighborhood groups to discuss what Evanstonians value in their community. While those sessions were valuable, not enough residents have been engaged. The Comprehensive Plan itself has been developed by consultants and staff on a separate track during those discussions, and the Draft Plan was only submitted to the LUC in November.

Residents have not had sufficient opportunity to read, digest and understand the implications of the draft Plan. Expecting citizens to attend so many meetings during a time overlapping both the holidays and the budget process is not respectful, and only increases frustrations among residents who already view the process as predetermined and driven by special interests. Even more disturbing, the schedule then calls for the LUC to complete their deliberations in January, with submission of the final Comprehensive Plan AND a revised zoning code – with all the necessary thousands of details and descriptions to support the Plan – to the City Council in March of 2025.
A sustainable and equitable vision for the future of Evanston must put political expediency aside. This compressed schedule, aligned with the political calendar, does not allow adequate time for necessary and thorough research, careful deliberation, and the public involvement that Evanstonians expect. Envision Evanston would benefit from an extended time frame that is typical of other communities, such as Wilmette, Highland Park, others, that engaged in a multi-year process. An extension would allow the planning team to better address details associated with environmental impacts, social equity, and economic sustainability, and support public understanding of the true impacts of zoning changes and revisions on neighborhoods. More time would also lessen the risks of boxing ourselves into policies that are poorly adapted to future challenges, resulting in costly revisions or inflexibility downstream.
Let’s build trust by taking the necessary time for the plan. Given the complexity of these plans and their long-term impact on the city’s growth and development, it is crucial that the planning process be careful and transparent. To act responsibly, the city should extend the deadline until Fall of 2025 to allow for sufficient time to thoroughly engage with the community and review accurate and comprehensive draft plans and zoning changes with residents. Extending the timeframe would also allow city staff to fully research relevant supporting data and incorporate additional public input.

Taking the necessary time on our comprehensive plan and zoning ensures that future generations inherit a city that is livable, resilient, and built on trust between residents and our government.

- Clare Kelly, Councilmember, 1st Ward