Land Use Commission continues hearing on 31‑story planned development at 605 Davis Street

Evanston — The Land Use Commission continued the public hearing on a proposed 31‑story, mixed‑use planned development at 605 Davis Street on July 23 after more than three hours of testimony from the applicant, city staff, traffic and wind consultants and more than two dozen members of the public.

The applicant, Carrie Dixon, managing director of Vermillion Development, presented plans for a 31‑story tower with about 3,200 square feet of ground‑floor retail, 430 dwelling units and 194 parking spaces (80 onsite and 114 leased offsite). Dixon said the project would preserve the existing two‑story University Building on the corner of Davis Street and Chicago Avenue and would include 20% of units set aside under Evanston’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO), or about 86 affordable units.

Commissioners and members of the public pressed the developer on several technical topics — parking and the plan to lease spaces from city garages, alley loading and deliveries, unit mix and how many family‑sized units would be affordable, a pedestrian wind study, and the legal basis for treating the adjacent University Building lot as part of the planned development for floor‑area calculations. After hearing public comment and receiving written requests for continuance from nearby residents and organizations, the commission voted to continue the case to its Aug. 13 meeting so parties can submit and respond to focused evidence on those topics.

The applicant team said the site combines a long‑vacant lot and a former Chase drive‑through and is suitable for dense, transit‑oriented development in the D3…