Evanston committee advances 'Housing for All' plan, agrees to study just‑cause protections and removes right‑to‑purchase proposal

The Evanston Housing and Community Development Committee voted Feb. 17 to send a revised version of the city’s Housing for All strategic plan to City Council, and directed staff to continue work on several items while removing two controversial provisions from the draft.

Committee members voted to advance the plan after debating multiple consent items, pulled provisions and public comment. In a key procedural move, the committee agreed to “explore a just cause policy to strengthen renter protections and promote housing stability,” a motion the committee adopted after discussion. The committee also voted to remove a proposed tenant/community right‑to‑purchase section and to strip a planned exploration of a transfer‑of‑development‑rights program from the draft.

Why it matters: The plan is intended as a multi‑year framework to increase housing supply, protect tenants and preserve long‑term affordability. Advancing the plan with edits sends it to the full City Council for a final decision; several members said more work is needed…