Evanston panel backs zoning amendment and special use to revive Hope Ignites home at 824 Gaffield Place

The Evanston Land Use Commission on Dec. 10 recommended that the City Council approve a zoning text amendment and a special use permit allowing Hope Ignites Chicago to establish an eight-girl child residential care home at 824 Gaffield Place.

Karen Corteau, president of Hope Ignites Chicago (formerly Boys Hope Girls Hope), told the commission the organization had secured $5,400,000 in capital funds for renovation and a partial endowment and is prepared to renovate 824 Gaffield as part of a four-house campus on Gaffield Place. "Our scholars are a 100% children of color," Corteau said, stressing the program—s wraparound support, structured residential schedule and emphasis on college preparation.

Staff read two case numbers into the record—one for a zoning text amendment and one for the special use—and explained the applications could be considered together. The text amendment would modify the city—s distance requirement for child residential care homes in the R4A zoning district; staff said the amendment is intended to enable this organization to proceed in this specific, unusual situation where a prior special use had been granted but expired before renovations could be completed.

Jennifer O—Shaughnessy, vice president of Hope Ignites Chicago, described the proposed use as low-impact compared with student rentals, saying the houses would have three full-time residential counselors, on-site parking in multiple garages and program vans. The applicant said scholars do not attend Evanston public schools; they travel by PACE bus and regional transit to partner schools including Loyola Academy, Regina Dominican and St. A's.

Commissioners asked about operations, transportation and timeline. Corteau said the organization recently obtained a building permit for one house, expects to pursue simultaneous renovations where possible to reduce costs and plans to begin placing girls in the renovated house in 2027. She said the annual operating run rate for a single house is roughly $250,000 and the program is privately funded.

After deliberation the commission moved to recommend approval of the zoning text amendment; the roll-call vote was six in favor, none opposed. The commission then applied the standards for special use approval, including compatibility with the neighborhood, impacts on public services and traffic, and historical preservation. Staff reported no identified adverse impacts and noted similar facilities have operated on the block for decades. A motion to recommend the special use passed on a 6-0 roll-call vote.

Staff recommended two routine conditions for the special use: that the applicant construct the improvements described in the record and that the ordinance amending the existing special use be recorded with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. The commission included those conditions in its recommendation to City Council.

The commission and applicant discussed nonbinding design suggestions—such as using materials and colors to reduce the visual bulk of a proposed mansard roof—and the applicant said they would consider a 3-D model. The Land Use Commission—s favorable recommendations now proceed to the City Council for final decisions.

Next steps: both recommendations (the text amendment and the special use with conditions) will be forwarded to City Council for public hearing and final action.