APW approves $900,000 DOT grant contract to study three city assets after debate

The Administration and Public Works Committee voted 3-2 on July 14 to approve resuming a federally funded "putting assets to work" consulting contract to study three Evanston-owned properties, advancing a roughly six- to eight-month community engagement and development-feasibility process funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant of about $900,000.

The grant-funded contract will support community engagement, development finance modeling and concept options for three properties identified earlier by the previous council: the police and fire headquarters, the vacant Civic Center and the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. The consultant team will work through the community engagement and come back to council with recommended concepts and, at the end of the grant process, an RFQ (request for qualifications) package for private partners, staff said.

Committee members and residents said the project matters because it could affect long-lived public facilities, potential housing outcomes and whether the city chooses to keep, adapt or sell assets. "I'm a bit stunned that somebody is getting a federal grant for $900,000 to guide us on what we need to do with our public land," public commenter Tricia Conley told the committee, urging the council to prioritize strategic housing planning over new consultant studies.

Why it matters: The process…