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 will shape options for three high-cost properties the city has identified as transit-oriented and subject to the grant—s eligibility criteria. Committee members requested clearer links between the consultant work and the city—s ongoing comprehensive plan and the pending strategic housing plan before the engagement begins in earnest.

Staff and consultant background: Paul Zalmazak, Evanston—s economic development manager, told the committee the contract had been paused earlier after a procurement error left an RFP response out of the original evaluation. "The error was, our procurement department, in their, downloading of the RFP responses from the demand star system. There was 1 lingering, RFP response that didn't make it into the final batch," Zalmazak said. The omitted proposer (Urban Resolve) asked to be considered, so staff reopened the evaluation.

Zalmazak detailed the project history: in 2023 the city joined a putting-assets-to-work incubator, spending $125,000 and receiving a $125,000 match from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for a $250,000 incubator effort that led to a 2024 action plan. The current DOT grant is a separate, larger federal award to support a follow-up implementation process that staff said will include frequent council check-ins.

Scope and timeline: Staff described a community-engagement process of roughly six to eight months to generate concepts, financial models and recommendations; the DOT grant has a hard 36-month deadline, with contract work required to be completed by Jan. 31, 2028. Staff said the grant requires the properties considered be within a half mile of a transit station.

Council questions and concerns: Several council members pressed staff on sequencing. "We are very much engaged in a comprehensive plan, and a comprehensive plan will give us more direction as to what we're looking at with regard to our public assets," Council member Kelly said, urging staff to show how the grant work would interface with Envision Evanston and the strategic housing plan. Council member Davis warned the process could amount to developing a sale plan without first analyzing the costs to repair or retain buildings. "I would rather us have that conversation explicitly and make that decision and then do this route," Davis said.

Director Biggs (city staff) said the police and fire building is far out of code and roughly half the size recommended by best practices, and that the building—s specialized needs mean there may be limited rental alternatives. Burns, who represents the Fifth Ward, urged staff to begin neighborhood conversations about the property at 2100 Ridge, saying that local residents were ready to engage.

Support and opposition: Council member Burns defended accepting grant-funded outside assistance: "We secured a grant for 900,000 that doesn't have to come from our Evanston taxpayers. That's a good thing to bring in a partner to help support us in this important work." Council member Kelly and others said they would support the work only if staff returned with a clearer scaffolding showing how the grant engagement will work with the comprehensive and strategic housing plans.

Action taken: A motion to table the item to the next APW meeting failed. The committee then approved the contract award (RFP 25-02) by roll call, 3 in favor, 2 opposed. Staff said the consultant—s scope will conclude at the RFQ stage; follow-on implementation and any additional funding would be subject to future council decisions.

Next steps: If the contract proceeds, staff said consultants would begin reestablishing the engagement schedule immediately and will return to council with a proposed engagement calendar and periodic check-ins. The final RFQ and selection of a development partner would require separate council approvals.

Ending: Committee members asked staff to return with a clearer explanation of how the DOT-funded engagement will be coordinated with the comprehensive plan and upcoming strategic housing plan and requested regular council updates during the engagement.