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Evanston council adopts Envision Evanston 2045 after contentious public comment; directs staff to return zoning RFP
Summary
After more than two hours of public comment and a council amendment, the Evanston City Council voted 5-4 on Jan. 26 to adopt the Envision Evanston 2045 comprehensive plan and asked staff to return a draft RFP for a zoning ordinance consultant within 30 days.
On Jan. 26, 2026, the Evanston City Council voted 5-4 to adopt resolution 8-R-26, the Envision Evanston 2045 draft comprehensive plan, after extended public comment and a council amendment allowing staff to make minor corrections identified at the meeting.
The plan lays out the city’s long-range vision for land use, housing, transportation and climate resilience. Supporters, including Sarah Peterson, executive director of Open Communities, urged the council to act on the plan to address affordability and displacement: "We look to you now as our leaders to take action, to say yes to the Evanston we've envisioned," she said during public comment.
Opponents warned the plan's upzoning language could accelerate gentrification and said the planning process lacked transparency. "As long as policy H2.1 is in the plan calling for upzoning in all neighborhoods by right, the plan should be defeated," said Steve Test, a 3rd…
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