The Evanston City Council on Nov. 24 took up a proposal to authorize a city agreement with Family Focus to support the nonprofit's move to smaller premises and to establish a disposition process for the city-owned property at 2010 Dewey Avenue.

Council member Suffredin moved the item A20 (Resolution 68-R-25) authorizing the city manager to enter into an agreement with Family Focus for its move to 1601/1607 Simpson Street and a disposition plan for 2010 Dewey Avenue. Council member Burns and others provided background: the council previously approved $3,000,000 to support Family Focus; Family Focus later decided to relocate to a smaller space and had not raised the funds to renovate the larger building. Staff explained that a portion of ARPA funds had been swapped into the Water Fund and that, if the city uses those funds to support Family Focus, any repayment tied to a future sale would be determined in the agreement.

Council member Burns moved two amendments to the resolution to (1) strongly encourage redevelopment proposals that preserve the building's legacy as a community anchor and (2) ensure Fifth Ward residents have a defined role in reviewing proposals. Family Focus representatives said they had done community engagement over the past three years and would consider resident input but noted final decisions would depend on viable proposals that meet community and financial goals. Council member Rogers asked about repayment if the property were sold; staff said repayment terms would be negotiated and tracked against net proceeds, and timeframes discussed included a three-year endpoint for the request-for-interest process.

Council member Nussbaum expressed support for the intent of the amendments but cautioned against negotiating detailed language on the floor; he moved to hold the item so staff and parties could draft precise language to be returned to the council. That motion to hold was carried, and the item will return on the Dec. 8 City Council agenda.

No final agreement was executed at the Nov. 24 meeting; the council asked staff to refine amendment language and expected the parties to reach agreement before the Dec. 8 meeting.