Community meeting Thursday to discuss south Evanston lakefront affordable housing
After a developer proposed a 60-unit mixed affordable housing development last fall for the south portion of Evanston along the lakefront, Evanston 3rd Ward Alderperson Melissa Wynne is hosting a community meeting Thursday, Aug. 31 for neighbors and interested parties to discuss it.
Cleveland-based PIRHL is set to develop the project and will be at the 7 p.m. community meeting alongside representatives from the Housing Authority of Cook County and the City of Evanston to present the project proposal and answer questions.
The development would be contained in one building, 504 to 514 South Boulevard, and sit next to the Catholic Cavalry Cemetery and is currently occupied by a city-operated parking lot, along with four townhomes owned by the Housing Authority of Cook County. It would be built within sight of the South Boulevard Purple Line station, making the project a transit-oriented development.
South Boulevard Shores, as the development is set to be named, was proposed in October 2022 Units in the building will range in price from market rate to 30 to 100% of area median income with one, two and three bedroom options available. Plans available on the city’s website say half the available units will be one bedrooms with 12 two bedrooms and 18 three bedrooms.
The plan would allow for 20 public parking spots to remain available for permitting by the city along the southern border of the site.
Plans call for construction to begin by the end of 2023 with construction complete in spring 2025. Stabilized occupancy is expected to be complete by summer 2025.
Neighbors of the proposed project have previously expressed concern about the building’s height. Documents for the project state the development will take advantage of the additional 12 foot allowance on top of the area zoning limit of five stories to bring the building to 62 feet, the maximum allowed.
Others expressed concern for the future of those currently living in the Chicago Housing Authority townhomes. HACC official Jesse Silva said in October those residents would be offered moving assistance to either a rental unit with a housing voucher or another unit owned by the county in Evanston. Plans also call for HACC to pay moving costs.
Documents from the HACC and PIRHL said the townhomes are “not an efficient use of the current space allowed by zoning rules” and replacing them will constitute an improvement. The city also states the parking lot is underutilized, with only four spots for residential parking, for the town home occupants, of which three are being used. The lot can currently accommodate 69 parking permit holders.
Evanston’s Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak said in October there are no plans for expansion of the project, as the cemetery is unwilling to sell property.
A traffic study completed by Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. concluded the proximity to public transit will reduce area traffic, the driveway access for the development would create limited traffic impact on the area and area intersections have the ability to accommodate traffic generated by the new building. Kenig, Lindgren, O’Hara, Aboona, Inc. suggested that signs be placed at the intersection of South Boulevard and Callan Avenue to indicate traffic on South Boulevard has the right of way and does not stop.
