Development surge appears to be ebbing

Evanston may see more than 500 new housing units in planned developments completed by the end of this year, but that’s a number that seems unlikely to be met in succeeding years.

And it comes after an exceedingly slow year for new planned development completions in 2018.

Here’s a rundown of residential planned developments completed over the past three years, along with ones now under construction, approved or in the review process.

2016 — 291 units

• The eight-story Hyatt House at 1515 Chicago Ave., with 114 extended-stay hotel rooms, opened in May.
• The Main, a nine-story mixed-use building at 847 Chicago Ave. with 112 rental apartments, opened in October.
• An eight-story addition to The Merion, with 65 rental apartments for seniors, was completed late in the year.

2017 — 156 units

• Centrum Evanston, a 12-story, 101-unit rental apartment building at 1571 Maple Ave., was completed by year end.
• 1620 Central a 47-unit rental building at that address on Central Street, was completed in the fall.
• The final eight units in the Church Street Village condominium development were completed in 2017.

2018 — 44 units

• 828 Lofts, a four-story, 44-unit rental building at 824-828 Noyes St., was completed last fall.

2019 — 510 units

• The Link, at 811 Emerson St., is a nine-story, 242-unit rental apartment development approved by the City Council in June 2017. Now under construction, it’s scheduled for completion later this year.
• The Albion, at 1500 Chicago Ave., is a 15-story, 268-unit rental apartment development approved by the City Council in November 2017. Now under construction, it may be completed by the end of this year.

2020 — 358 units

These three approved projects may be completed in 2020.

• 1727 Oak Ave., a 17-story, 169-unit rental development for active seniors, has broken ground for foundation work after being approved by the City Council in May 2018.
• 1815 Ridge Ave., a 163-unit development with independent and assisted living units for seniors was approved by the City Council in July 2016, but has yet to break ground.
• City Grange, at 128-130 Chicago Ave., a 26-unit rental and retail development, was approved by the City Counil in May 2018, but has yet to break ground.

2021 — 240 units

These projects have at least reached the starting gate of the city approval process, with the submission of a request for a zoning analysis.

• Evanston Commons, 910-938 Custer Ave., a 40-unit, for-sale townhouse development, has been through the zoning analysis stage and its planned development application is scheduled for its second session before the city’s Design and Project Review Committee on Wednesday.
• The Legacy, 1621 Chicago Ave., the owners of The Merion, located just to the south of this site, submitted a zoning analysis request for a 15-story 156-unit development for seniors in May 2018. But they haven’t yet submitted the more detailed plans required to begin the planned development review process. (Update 1/8/19: A planned development proposal has now been submitted, and it’s larger than what was proposed before. Details here.)
• Domanus Development proposes a pair of buildings with a total of 44 condominum units on the northeast corner of Jackson Avenue and Emerson Street in zoning analysis requests submitted in September 2018.

And beyond … 

Not included in the chart is a proposal for about 60 units of subsidized housing for seniors on the site of the former Dairy Queen on Howard Street. That project hasn’t reached the zoning analysis stage yet, but is scheduled to be discussed at an 8th Ward meeting Wednesday night.