The City Council Monday introduced an ordinance that would would block issuance of building permits for 180 days on Central Street from 2200 Central east to Ashland Avenue.
The moratorium was proposed by Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward. It would not apply to projects, such as the condo development at the Evanston Theater site, that are already under review, or to projects submitted before the ordinance is given final approval, which is expected to occur at the council’s next meeting, on Sept. 11.
The moratorium is intended to give the city time to conduct a study that will recommend streetscape improvements and possible zoning changes for the area near the Central Street Metra station.
The study would cover a broader area than the moratorium, running along Central Street from Crawford Avenue east to Ridge Avenue and on Green Bay Road from Livingston Street south to Lincoln Street.
The city recently extended a moratorium it imposed earlier this year on building permits in the west side tax increment financing district where a similar planning process is already underway. That moratorium, originally scheduled to last 120 days, has now been extended for an additional 125 days, until mid-December.