Land use commission narrowly recommends approval of Emerson Street development despite neighbors’ objections

The Evanston Land Use Commission on March 25, 2020 voted 3–2 to recommend approval to city council of a major-variation application for 1103–1105 Emerson Street that would increase the site’s residential capacity well above the 12 units currently allowed by the R-6 zoning.

The motion, moved and seconded during deliberations, applied the staff-recommended packet of conditions with edits made on the dais. Commissioners Deborah Berlin and Harris Fary voted yes; Commissioner Johnson and Commissioner Mabati voted no; Commissioner Lynwall voted yes. The recommendation will go to city council for final action.

The proposal, brought by the property owners and their attorney, seeks 24 units on paper and would allow up to 30 units when bonus/inclusionary units are counted. The applicant said the project would include three on-site inclusionary housing units at 40% area median income and that higher unit counts are financially necessary to keep rents below other nearby new developments.

Opponents — including nearby homeowner Tina Peyton and representatives of the adjacent Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church — told the commission they oppose the variances or want strong conditions. Peyton, who said her family has owned property on the block since 1915, described repeated sewage backups and property…