‘Envision Evanston’: City officials unveil development of new comprehensive plan and zoning code

Eli Ong
·2 min read

EVANSTON, Ill. — Envision Evanston 2045, a year-long, community driven initiative, was announced Thursday by the City of Evanston, where city officials said they aim to develop a new comprehensive plan and zoning code that emphasizes land use, racial justice, affordable housing and more.

The comprehensive plan — an outline of the city’s vision for its future, encompassing goals and strategies to achieve that vision — along with the zoning code, will be discussed in community-driven processes throughout March and April, where Evanston residents will have multiple ways to share their input:

  • Survey: An online survey is available in English and Spanish. Paper surveys are available at the Evanston Public Library, Robert Crown Community Center and the Civic Center.

  • Community Meetings: Attend in-person meetings with free childcare, Spanish materials and interpreters, and snacks (A schedule of planned community meetings can be found below in this article).

  • Ward Meetings: Attend a local ward meeting featuring Envision Evanston 2045.

  • Meeting in a Box: Host your own meeting with the easy-to-use Meeting-in-a-Box toolkit. To download, for pick-up locations and more visit envisionevanston2045.com/hostasession.

  • Email Evanston city government: Share your questions, suggestions, or big ideas at envisionevanston2045@cityofevanston.org.

*A PDF slideshow presention of the launch of Envision Evanston 2045 can be found at the bottom of this article.

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Community Meeting Schedule

  • Wednesday, March 20 (Spanish): 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Robert Crown Community Center, Room B/C, 1801 Main Street.

  • Thursday, March 21: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Westminster Place, Assembly Hall, 1 Calvin Circle.

  • Saturday, March 23: 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Evanston Public Library, Community Room, 1703 Orrington Avenue.

  • Tuesday, March 26: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, Auditorium, 1655 Foster Street.

  • Wednesday, April 3: 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Levy Senior Center, Bobby’s Room, 300 Dodge Avenue.

  • Thursday, April 4 (Virtual): 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., join via Zoom.

Evanston’s current comprehensive plan was approved in 2000, and the current zoning code was approved in 1993.

For more information, those interested can visit envisionevanston2045.com, email envisionevanston2045@cityofevanston.org, or call 847-448-4311.

Envision-Evanston-2045-launch-slidesDownload

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