Evanston Calls Summer Special Meetings To Finalize Envision 2045 Plan

EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston City Council will hold special meetings this summer to introduce the draft of the city's new, rewritten comprehensive plan, Envision Evanston 2045.

Mayor Daniel Biss will call the first meeting on Tuesday, June 24 to discuss the draft for the first time after months of review from the Land Use Commission and multiple revisions. Another meeting will be held on July 21 and another could be held in August if needed.

"In 2045, Evanston is a vibrant, resilient, and welcoming community for all. Evanston celebrates its diversity through our arts, culture, history, and neighborhoods. Steady growth in our local circular economy cultivates opportunities close to home while achieving ambitious climate action," the Envision Evanston draft vision reads.

The city began the process of reviewing the city's 25-year-old comprehensive plan and developing a new plan and zoning code in early 2024. With the upcoming meeting, the city will enter phase four of the city's road map to adopting the new plan.

The first phase involved the finalization of a work plan and comprehensive outreach to residents, aiming to align the project with city officials' expectations and set the stage for continued community involvement.

In the second phase, the consultants took a deep dive into the city's existing policies and conditions. This phase also featured listening sessions, data collection and analysis to review different perspectives out what was going on in town.

Phase three was dedicated to training citizen planners, setting community goals and further engagement with the public, a crucial step in developing the vision statement and goals of the comprehensive plan and the guiding principles of the new zoning code.

The fourth phase is expected to take another four months and will feature the actual development and drafting of the plan and zoning code. Consultants will create alternative scenarios for the cities future and arrange for workshops and interactive tools to get residents more involved in the decision-making process.

In the final phase of the project, aimed at ensuring its recommendations are actionable and have support the consultants will convene an implementation workshop with city leaders and partner agencies. An implementation plan will then be drafted ahead of the preparation of final drafts of the new plan and code.

“These efforts will have a huge impact on our community’s progress toward affordability, sustainability, and equity," Biss said in a statement last year. "This process is a chance for everyone to help craft the blueprint for the Evanston of tomorrow.”