Evanston board debates criteria for ‘equity prioritized’ buildings under Healthy Buildings ordinance

Summary

Members of the Healthy Buildings Accountability Board discussed how to define and prioritize "equity prioritized buildings" (EPBs), weighing definitions based on unit rent versus resident income, treatment of mixed-use and nonprofit-owned properties, and the need for local building-stock data and mapping before finalizing criteria.

The Healthy Buildings Accountability Board met March 6 and spent the bulk of its session debating how to identify and prioritize "equity prioritized buildings" under Evanston's Healthy Buildings ordinance. A committee member leading the conversation said jurisdictions take different approaches and framed the core choice: "are you defining affordability based on the cost the unit, the rent or the price of the unit, or are you defining affordability based on the characteristics of the person who lives in that unit?"

Why it matters: board members said the decision will determine which buildings get prioritized for financial or technical assistance, alternative compliance pathways, or exemptions. Without clear local data, they warned, the designation could miss the buildings and people the policy intends to protect.

Discussion and key points

- Definitional choice: The presenting committee member explained trade-offs between a rent- or price-based definition (which uses observable rents but can…

Evanston board debates criteria for ‘equity prioritized’ buildings under Healthy Buildings ordinance

Summary

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