Group wants zoning code to take into account equity and affordability concerns

Mail By Bob Seidenberg Evanston zoning codes sometimes mandate land use that is economically inefficient, requiring excessive lot standards and setbacks — standards that can have “an inherently exclusionary or segregationist effect on housing.” That observation was found in a report on Evanston’s zoning code last fall. Evanston-based Connections for the Homeless, a leading group…

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Evanston Library users show high level of satisfaction of library services, but concerns of branch loss and parking also surface on survey

By Bob Seidenberg The Evanston Public Library received high marks on a community survey conducted earlier this year designed to gauge how well the system was meeting needs. But some concerns were voiced about parking and the loss of neighborhood branches, catching the attention of some Library trustees at their July 20 meeting. A consulting…

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Citizen ethics board sits on sideline while Special Counsel sifts through complaints

By Bob Seidenberg Whatever happened to the City’s Ethics Board? Evanston’s newly-constituted Board of Ethics surfaced May 11 after an 18-month layoff and quickly went into hibernation again, with no future meeting marked on its city webpage. The board, composed of residents appointed by the  mayor, was established by the current Council, with the role…

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Evanston should draw new Ward map before April Special Election: longtime activist suggests

By Bob Seidenberg Members of the city’s Redistricting Committee previously agreed not to make any changes to the city’s current ward maps before a special election is held next April to fill two open Council seats. Elections for the city’s south Ninth Ward and now centrally-located Second Ward seats are expected to be held at…

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At their final Evanston City Council meeting, Braithwaite and Gandurski honored for their service to the City

Former Fifth Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons also honored for her reparations work By Bob Seidenberg rseiden914@gmail.com Evanston City Council members paid tribute to retiring Second Ward Alderperson Peter Braithwaite, as well as to interim City Manager Kelley Gandurski, who was pressed into the city’s top role during a tumultuous period, in an series of…

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