Zoning changes rile west Evanston residents

Emotions flared during an Evanston zoning meeting Wednesday as residents confronted the city and consultants over proposed zoning changes on the city's West Side.

The zoning committee of the plan commission agreed to continue deliberation on the West Evanston Master Plan, which drew considerable criticism among residents. They questioned the proposed increasing density, zone changes and tax hikes.

"I'm really appalled," said Roberta Hudson who lives at 1941 Dewey St. "The city should be concerned with helping citizens, not developers."

The plan calls for zoning changes on a diagonal strip from Evanston Township High School to the corner of Simpson Street and Green Bay Road. The changes call for rezoning residential areas, increasing density in some areas and decreasing it in others. A large portion of land between Church and Emerson streets that is zoned as I2, meaning light industrial, typically auto-oriented commercial property, will become R4, residential zoning that caps building height at 42 feet. C2 commercial zoning at Simpson and Green Bay will also be rezoned as R4.

City council approved the master plan on May 14. A vote on the zoning changes was supposed to take place at the meeting, but residents got the vote postponed. The meeting will be continued at 6 p.m. on Aug. 22.

Farr Associates, planning consultants hired in August 2006 to make recommendations, presented their findings during the meeting. They relied heavily on residents' suggestions for the plan. Leslie Oberholtzer, director of planning at Farr, said about 40 to 50 people attended each of the planning meetings and made suggestions based on image preference surveys. She said those who did attend were comfortable with the zoning changes.

"It's the same three or four people who [have] objected from Day One," Oberholtzer said of the residents' resistance. "You tend not to hear the positive response from these meetings."

Residents who spoke at the meeting were primarily concerned with increased density in the residential zones. They said the multi-family units, like apartment buildings, increase traffic and pollution. Taxpayers, they said, will be left with the bill for new roads and sewers.

Additionally, residents said they feared new development will raise their property taxes. Betty Ester, of 2114 Darrow St., said the higher taxes will affect elderly residents who live on a fixed income and are hard hit by higher taxes.

"You are changing the footprint of the neighborhood," said Ester who, along with other residents, called for residential zoning to be R3, which limits height to three stories.

"We were promised one thing and something else is on the table," Ester said.

Other residents had specific concerns regarding their business properties. Chip Uchtman owns property on Church Street that is zoned I2. If the zoning changes are made, Uchtman said he would have to sell his property for residential use only. Under the proposed changes, a road would be built through his land, forcing him to give away one-third of his property.

Joe Prudden owns four lots on Green Bay Road including Buffalo Joe's restaurant. This area is set to change from commercial to residential zoning.

"This means we can't expand," Prudden said. "It's part of our retirement."

Prudden and other residents were upset that the city did not notify them about the changes before the meeting. Prudden said he received nothing in the mail about the changes through the city said every taxpayer within 500 feet. of the proposed changes was sent a letter. Residents suggested the city inform them of proposed changes by sending messages through area churches. They also said those who were being affected by the proposal could not attend meetings in the Civic Center; they asked for the meetings to be held in the neighborhood.

After the meeting, Hudson and other residents discussed hiring a lawyer to represent their interests.

"They aren't looking out for the interests of residents," she said of the city. "They're looking out for the best interests of developers."