Evanston delays Healthy Buildings ordinance after intense public comment; vote tabled to March 10

Evanston city councilors on Feb. 24 agreed to delay action on a landmark Healthy Buildings Ordinance after extensive public comment and council debate, voting to table further action until the council's March 10 meeting.

The ordinance would require covered buildings — defined in the draft as those over 20,000 square feet — to meet three performance goals by 2050: improved energy efficiency (measured by energy use intensity), elimination of on-site emissions, and procurement of renewable electricity. The ordinance sets up a year-long rulemaking process and creates two new public bodies — a Healthy Buildings Accountability Board and a Technical Committee — to set interim standards, define “equity-prioritized buildings,” and oversee alternative compliance pathways.

City staff and the ordinance’s sponsors framed the measure as the city’s next step to meet Evanston’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan goals and to put a public, transparent rulemaking process in place. Kira Pratt, the city’s sustainability and resilience manager, told council,…