The developer of the first and so far only project to offer on-site affordable housing units under Evanston’s so-called inclusionary housing ordinance complained Wednesday that city demands for other features would make the project unfeasible.
At the city’s Design and Project Review Committee meeting Greg DeStefano said city staff’s insistance that the project at 824-828 Noyes St. include a green roof is impractical for a wood-frame structure and he complained that demands from staff and neighborhood residents for an all-brick, or nearly all-brick facade would also bust the budget.
He further objected that a proposed city ban on letting residents of his building qualify for on-street parking permits would be discriminatory — because residents of all existing buildings in the area — including ones that offer far less parking than his project — are eligible for those permits.
He said that decision would also encourage more students, who tend not to have cars, to live in the building — contrary to neighbors’ desire to limit the number of student tenants.
A rendering of the planned building at 824-828 Noyes St. as seen from the adjacent “L” platform.
In response, Planning and Zoning Division Manager Damir Latinovic said that if the project is providing sufficient parking for its residents, they shouldn’t need on-street parking permits.
DeStefano responded that the site could also be developed with no new housing, leaving the existing one-story commercial building in place and reconfiguring the lot behind the building with 48 parking spaces. That would meet the city’s parking goals, he suggested — but do nothing to provide affordable housing.
Community Development Director Mark Muenzer said he knew of similar developments in Chicago that had green roofs, but DeStefano said they required extensive steel reinforcement.
“All these things you would like to do to the building — I’d love to — but I can’t do it because the building won’t work financially,” DeStefano said.
Doing a 100 percent brick facade would add $350,000 to the cost, he claimed, adding that if he only provided two affordable units rather than four, then he could use that money to do a green roof.
Latinovic, in arguing for the more expensive materials, said the project was “very good” for the site height-wise and density-wise, “but not a great project. The exterior materials chosen prevent it from being great.”
But DeStefano argued that the older neighboring buildings aren’t all brick either. “They’re brick with stucco,” he said
The committee voted to forward the project proposal to the Plan Commission with those issues unresolved.
The Plan Commission is expected to hold a hearing on the proposal next month, and the planned development could reach the City Council for review in August or September.
Because of the density proposed in the 44-unit project, it will require a two-thirds vote by the City Council to be approved.
We need change we can believe in
What really jumped out at me was the city’s Design and Project Review Committee’s proposed city ban on letting residents of this building qualify for on-street parking permits.
I can not see how the city could legally deny street parking permits to people living on that street if others on the same street can get street parking permits. That is plain and simple discrimination.
And why are they requiring a green roof? Did they do this with other recent projects? No?
These city planners are clearly on a power trip.
This is another example how local, county and state government has gone too far with crazy economic killing ordinances and policies.
We can fix this. Just VOTE OUT all the incumbents and start fresh. Change we can believe in. YES WE CAN!
Keep Pushing
It seems our beloved City Council is putting even tighter restraints on developers willing to put affordable housing in the community. While building permit fees are about to increase which will not only push developers out of the City Of Evanston it will also push businesses as well as residents.Keep Pushing and watch your beloved city financially collapse .