Evanston council adopts language to increase affordable housing choices after hours of public comment

The Evanston City Council voted July 30 to adopt revised language in the draft Envision Evanston 2045 plan directing the city to increase housing supply and affordable housing choices at all income levels, following an evening of public comment and extended council discussion.

The vote matters because the language will guide forthcoming zoning and policy work tied to the comprehensive plan. Supporters said the change is needed to expand housing options and mitigate rising costs; opponents warned that loosening land-use constraints without other protections could drive displacement.

Dozens of residents addressed the council in a packed chamber and online; the public-comment period centered on housing policy, zoning and the planned strategic housing study. Real estate broker Roger Williams told the council, “surging rents and soaring home prices are acting as the ultimate catalyst for the out-migration of Black residents,” and urged action on housing affordability. Frank Hill, a Seventh Ward homeowner, said he supported “adopting option 2 under h 2.1” to allow multiunit housing by right in residential areas. Sheree Mershavanis, associate director of advocacy at Connections for the Homeless, urged council members to “adopt…