Evanston City Council approved the sale of the city-owned empty lot at the corner of Church Street and Darrow Avenue to Housing Opportunities Development Corporation, effectively moving forward the nonprofit organization’s proposed 33-unit affordable housing project.
Housing Opportunities Development Corporation has partnered with Mt. Pisgah Ministry, a small church in the city’s 5th Ward, to build a new church building on the empty lot and create an affordable housing complex in the space the church currently occupies along Church Street. The first floor of the complex will house commercial space but no plans as to what will fill the space have been released.
The project, unveiled in January, was originally pitched as a 44-unit complex but a drop in the building’s height to better fit with the area zoning brought the units down to 33. Councilmember Clare Kelly said this and other changes to the retail space should have brought the plan back to the Land Use Commission instead of continuing on to council.
Some residents have remained skeptical about the project saying while they are all for affordable housing, there is an overabundance in the 5th Ward and other wards need to pick up the slack. Residents also worry the church won’t be able to raise the funding needed to rebuild and will leave the neighborhood with the empty lot.
Concerns about the viability of the lot where a gas station once stood were brought forward but Evanston Community Development Director Sarah Flax said the land was approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to be used for residential purposes.
Some residents have questioned Housing Opportunity Development Corporation’s management of its buildings, saying that its property Claridge Apartments, at 319 Dempster Street, has experienced drug dealing, fires, fights and other issues in the building.
Kelly took on these concerns and set up meetings with Richard Koenig, executive director at HODC, along with residents and Connections for the Homeless, a nonprofit that helps house the homeless. She continued to push for greater protections for Claridge residents during the meeting.
“This is not about affordable housing right now. We all support affordable housing,” she said. “We also have to care about the very residents, the existing low income residents in this city. We have to care about their safety and their well-being.”
She said she hoped to use the new complex as leverage to ensure safe practices are upheld at 319 Dempster, saying she can’t support the Church Street project until better protections are put in place at the Dempster Street property.
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Neighbor Jill Calian said during the meeting she has lived in the neighborhood near the Claridge for 25 years and she wants the land sale postponed until HODC can ensure safe housing for the tenants there.
Agreements have been made for the city to fund eight-hour-a day security on site at 319 Dempster until Thanksgiving. Kelly had hoped for a stronger presence with round-the-clock security for several months but 5th Ward Alderperson Bobby Burns has previously said that would cause expenses beyond the nonprofit’s capabilities.
“We agree that we’ve been working to improve the situation at 319 Dempster,” Koenig said. “We’ve been working hard to improve tenants’ lives there.”
Issues at the property have been linked to what has been called a problem tenant who has since been evicted and was removed from the property on July 10.
Jeffrey Bushor, who lives across the street from Claridge Apartments, spoke at the July 10 City Council meeting and told council that even with the removal of the tenant, he and others doubt living conditions will improve.
“How is it that HODC can operate their other housing facilities and not have the problems that they inflict on the tenants and the neighbors of the Claridge?” he asked.
Proponents for the HODC/Mt. Pisgah project have said the city needs all the affordable housing it can get and with housing prices rising, there isn’t time to waste.
Bonnie Wilson spoke in approval of the project and said she doesn’t want to wait any longer for residents at risk to have access to affordable housing.
Sue Loellbach, advocacy manager for Connections for the Homeless, said 319 Dempster isn’t the only building in the city with complaints and the city should set up infrastructure to manage and address complaints.
“People ask what the hurry is. Connections for the Homeless works with people every day who make the need for hurry very clear,” she said.
Councilmembers Kelly and Thomas Suffredin voted against the land sale and consolidation, however, the vote on each passed 6-2.
The city approved $4 million in funding for the project last month with money being gathered from West Evanston TIF funding, American Rescue Plan Act funds, the city’s Affordable Housing Fund and HOME Investment Partnerships Program funding from the federal government.
Now that the building has been approved by the city and secured the funding, next steps for the project include completing building permits, checking back with the Illinois Housing Development Authority to give housing priority to Evanston residents and working with local businesses and contractors to get them involved in the construction process.
Burns thanked those who came out to discuss the proposal including those who brought forward their concerns about 319 Dempster.
“We will have other opportunities to check in about HODC. They’re not going anywhere. They’re a nonprofit that owns and manages several properties, not just in the 5th Ward but across the city,” he said. “We will have check-in points to make sure that things are going as they should at Claridge Apartments.”