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Mayor Biss urges stay in debate over Envision Evanston 2045 as city raises inclusionary housing requirement to 15%
Summary
Mayor Daniel Biss said Envision Evanston 2045 aims to expand housing affordability and neighborhood diversity and noted the city strengthened its inclusionary housing ordinance to require roughly 15% affordable units in new developments.
Mayor Daniel D. Biss used the Feb. 2025 State of the City address to urge residents to remain engaged with Envision Evanston 2045, the city’s long‑range planning effort that he said is intended to preserve neighborhood diversity and expand housing options for teachers, first responders, nurses, seniors and young families.
"I want this community to be a place where our District 65 School teachers can afford to live, where our police officers and our firefighters can afford to live," Biss said. He said Envision Evanston 2045 will also guide the city’s work on climate resilience and downtown economic recovery.
Biss said the city had “strengthened our inclusionary housing ordinance,” raising the requirement for affordable units in new development to 15%. "That's important. It's going to be a game changer as new potential development occurs in Evanston," he said, while adding the requirement will be monitored and adjusted as needed.
The mayor framed Envision Evanston 2045 as a contested but necessary conversation, urging that “every voice” be heard and that residents and stakeholders stay engaged rather than abandon the process because it is difficult.
Decisions still to be made include the balance between housing affordability targets and development economics; Biss said the city will keep monitoring outcomes and may revisit the inclusionary percentage in future reviews. No formal vote or council action was reported in the speech transcript itself; the mayor described measures taken by his administration and the council to strengthen the ordinance.
