Preservation commission urges lower heights, setbacks for proposed 100-foot zoning on Chicago Avenue adjacent to Lakeshore Historic District

The Evanston Preservation Commission on Wednesday moved to oppose the draft Envision Evanston 2045 zoning that would place M3 zoning — allowing up to 100-foot buildings — on Chicago Avenue between Lee Street and Dempster Street, a corridor that directly abuts the Lakeshore Historic District.

Preserve staff and commissioners told the meeting that the draft M3 designation would permit building heights and bulk that “would loom” over single-family houses east of Chicago Avenue, and the commission coalesced around recommendations for lower maximum heights and a modest rear setback or stepped-down bulk where new development approaches the district.

Why it matters: The corridor under discussion sits immediately west of the Lakeshore Historic District, and several properties along Chicago Avenue were previously identified by the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office as individually eligible for the National Register. Commissioners said the combination of shallow lot depths on Hinman Avenue and a sudden 100-foot zoning edge would create an abrupt and damaging transition in scale to the district.

The discussion began with public comment. Steve Test, 1135 Hinman Avenue, told the commission he opposed the proposed M3 zoning for the three blocks of Chicago Avenue between Lee and Dempster, calling it “particularly inappropriate” because…