Downtown Plan Needs More Discussion

The following letter appeared in the Forum section of the July 31st issue of the Evanston Review. Trish Stieglitz is a director of Central Street Neighbors Association.
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Downtown Plan Needs More Discussion

"In the fall of 2007, Jeff Smith, president of the Central Street Neighbors Association, wrote a widely read analysis of the draft Downtown Plan (posted on the association's Web site, centralstreetneighbors.com/?q=node/173) identifying numerous concerns.

Smith asked what effect the proposed up-zoning would have on other Evanston residential real estate, and about the sociological effects (a key element of so-called "smart growth") and costs of growth. He questioned the absence of incentives for adaptive re-use and the scant discussion of impact on Evanston's diversity and housing affordability. He also urged greater study of the base zoning and how "density bonuses" would be administered.

The Plan Commission is currently plowing through the bonus aspects of the plan, but to date, there has not been sufficient discussion, either by the commission or publicly, of the concerns that Smith and others have pointed out.

To avoid the kind of late, unhappy protests that have greeted so many Evanston development discussions, we need more discussion, analysis and coverage of how we want, or expect, our Downtown Plan to affect our city's character. That should take place sooner rather than later. Those persons planning to run for election or re-election, especially, ought to be leading on this now and letting residents know where they stand."

Trish Stieglitz
Evanston

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Jeff Smith's analysis is here.