By Patrick O'Connor

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That silence you hear is the void created as the architects of Envision Evanston 2045 and the city’s new zoning code work backstage to expunge “character” from our civic identity. That’s “character,” as in the feeling or atmosphere of a place created by its physical and human qualities. Apparently, Evanston doesn’t have it anymore. 

 

Daniel Burnham, in 1917’s first Plan of Evanston wrote: “For a full half century, Evanston has had a character. People have thought of it as a place distinct, somehow, from the other suburbs of Chicago.” 

 

The introductory Vision Statement of Evanston’s last Comprehensive Plan, from the year 2000 reads, on page one, “The primary theme of the Comprehensive General Plan is the recognition that Evanston must allow growth to occur while enhancing the community’s special character.” It continues on page 23, “The Plan Commission believes that much of Evanston’s strength of character lies in its historic diversity of both land uses and neighborhood densities. This urban/suburban mix, which makes Evanston distinct from other suburbs will also benefit from new developments as recommended in the Comprehensive General Plan.” The word “character” appears 45 times in that plan from 25 years ago

 

Evanston’s current zoning code includes 48 instances of “character.” It is one of the foundational concepts on which much of the code rests. 

 

In Envision Evanston 2045, written by the consultant HDR, Inc. of Omaha, the word “character” appears one time – in an obligatory reference to Daniel Burnham’s century-old quote. Not a single description, recommendation, policy or action statement in EE45 mentions Evanston’s “character.” Although Evanston has a $750,000 contract with HDR for the EE45 project, their scope of work doesn’t seem to compel them to learn much about Evanston or its history before hitting print. Not unrelated, City Council is considering firing HDR as disclosed at the January 13th Council meeting. Nonetheless, City Council has directed Evanston’s Land Use Commission to complete its review of the flawed and incomplete plan by the end of February, so Council can enact it before the April 1st election. There may, or may not, be a consultant involved. What could go wrong?

 

Digging deeper, HDR’s zoning sub-consultant ZoneCo, is also maneuvering that the term, “character… should be removed from [Evanston’s] zoning code,” thereby vaporizing much of the framework that binds our current code together. (Zoning Diagnostic Report, ZoneCo Inc., October 2024, p. 19)

 

You may remember ZoneCo as the Ohio-based consultant who was recently benched by the town of Palm Beach following criticism over the quality of their work:

 

“The new leadership comes after an initial draft from Cincinnati-based consultant ZoneCo was met with criticism during the Planning and Zoning Commission's Nov. 5 meeting over its failure to address the policies and review template the commission had repeatedly requested, [Planning, Zoning and Building Director Wayne] Bergman told the council.”

 

• Diego Diaz Lasa, “Town Council Gives Palm Beach Staff the Go-Ahead to Lead Zoning Code Reform.” Palm Beach Daily News, Dec. 16, 2024.

 

Evanston’s team of unelected policy architects also includes Connections For The Homeless. This is the advocacy group directing the City’s affordable housing and zoning initiatives. In advising the city, Connections recommends, “Removing coded and undefined words (such as the term “character”) that can be used to preserve the status quo and prevent increased affordability.” (Equitable Zoning Project Report, Connections for the Homeless, Summer 2024, p. 3).

 

So, after 160-plus years of Evanston celebrating its special “character,” it ends now – with EE45. 

 

Either the city is intent on deliberately distancing itself from its historical “character,” or our elected officials, plunging ahead with EE45 and zoning reform at warp speed, are asleep at the wheel, having delegated policy making to unelected interests. Regardless, we haven’t heard a transparent public dialog about it. But we have been strong-armed into getting EE45 approved before the election. It would be “immoral" not to. It’s like the rushed comprehensive plan and radical zoning reform are just resumé fodder for the next job. 

 

Evanstonians can disagree about many things, but none of us can deny our rich history, semi-urban downtown, sandy lakefront beaches and vibrant residential neighborhoods. Our people are a cross section of America. And the world. We are the home town of Frances Willard, Daniel Burnham, Charles Dawes and Lorraine Morton. We’re 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, but we are not Chicago. We have unique street fairs, music festivals, arts centers and museums. We are a Tree City USA. Our children attend racially and culturally diverse schools and summer camps. We have one of the best high schools in the country. There are something like a hundred churches in Evanston. We host a world-class university and Big 10 athletics in our backyard.. We have elevated trains, nice parks and great restaurants. We’ve gone from a dry town to one with multiple breweries. We have a public golf course in the middle of it all. We pay high taxes but we feel like that’s part of our social contract. We enacted the nation’s first reparations program. If nothing else, we earn our “character” card simply by way of our annual Fourth of July Parade.

 

If Evanston is a place without “character,” it is no place. 

 

If “character” has a complicated history, now is the opportunity to address it, not run away from it. Let’s have that debate. Our elected officials owe us better than this embarrassing Envision Evanston 2045 and zoning mess thrown together by unelected out-of-towners.

 

So, if you’re paying any attention at all to this issue, please ask your council member why they are rushing headlong into a 20-year plan that, evidently, requires the abandonment of our “character.”