City unveils draft comprehensive plan

Just as the polls were closing Tuesday night, Evanston officials released a draft version of the city's new comprehensive plan.

The 118-page document calls for an array of possible changes to the city's physical environment, but in sweeping generalities subject to a wide array of possible interpretations.

The practical impact of the proposal will be hard to parse until the proposed new zoning code being developed in tandem with the comprehensive plan is released sometime in the coming weeks.

The plan suggests that by two decades from now the city will have managed to:

Control over land use arguably gives local government the greatest ability to impact the community's future.

And the plan acknowledges that "land use constraints cause tension with important issues like increasing housing diversity and prioritizing climate mitigation and resilience."

But it argues that the debate "is not a zero-sum game."

It proposes to focus on developing "mixed-use centers and corridors" — a concept not radically different from what has been featured in the city's zoning code for decades.

A map included with the plan describes 10 different potential zoning categories, from "open space" to "downtown."

The plan suggests Evanston may see its population grow from 78,110 in 2020 to 84,175 by 2045, a projection it attributes to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning — growth that the zoning changes would facilitate

That's an increase of nearly 8%, which represents a growth rate somewhat higher than what's projected by CMAP for the region as a whole.

The draft plan says the city should "direct development to centers and corridors to ensure the efficient use of land and access to transportation choices and amenities."

It also says the city should "encourage the transition of industrial areas and buildings to support innovation districts with a thriving entrepreneurial and research scene that foster collaboration, innovation and economic development."

It also criticizes the existing zoning code's nearly 800 rules as an "outdated system" that "struggles to keep up with new businesses, housing types and climate needs."

The current code, the new plan says, "limits much of Evanston's land to single-unit homes, which restricts expanding the mix of housing that can be built to meet the needs of the community."

"The existing rules," the plan adds, "also support exclusionary practices, and the complicated mix of zoning districts and additional regulations makes it difficult for local businesses and homeowners to navigate."

The Land Use Commission next Wednesday is scheduled to consider zoning changes to permit up to four-dwelling units per lot in single family districts and start a full review of the comprehensive plan a week later, on Nov. 20.