Preservation commissioners press city on housing plan: conservation districts, TDRs, adaptive reuse and taxes debated

Commissioners at the Evanston Preservation Commission spent extensive time reviewing the city's Strategic Housing Plan, focusing on how the plan would affect existing housing stock, preservation objectives and neighborhood stability. The discussion ranged across definitions of "naturally occurring affordable housing," proposals for conservation districts, transfer of development rights (TDR), adaptive reuse and barriers to bringing upper‑story and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) back into production.

The conversation matters because the Strategic Housing Plan is intended to guide zoning updates and housing strategies for the next decade; commissioners said preservation goals and neighborhood stability should be explicitly linked to those actions. Speakers asked for clearer definitions, mapped inventories of naturally occurring affordable housing, and explicit safeguards where new incentives could unintentionally accelerate demolition or height increases in sensitive areas.

A member of the public who signed up for comment urged the commission to add conservation districts to the plan and to oppose the social and market effects of…