Equitable Zoning: New Report & Campaign

Joining Forces has been studying the City of Evanston's zoning code for several  years. Our report is now done and is serving as the driver of our Equitable Zoning Reform Campaign in Evanston.​

Read equitable zoning report!

Goals for Zoning Reform
Based on review of the current zoning code, and on feedback from community members about how zoning helps some people while harming others, Joining Forces is advocating for the following goals to be the focus of the City's zoning reform efforts:

• Promoting Housing Affordability by removing current barriers to affordability from the zoning code and including rules and standards in the code that not only allow for more affordability but even incentivize it.
• Encouraging Housing Abundance by making it easier to create more housing and more varieties of housing in Evanston. Our recommendations include allowing multi-family buildings in all zoning districts and supporting options for home-sharing that the zoning code currently prohibits.
• ​Embracing Equity in Zoning by making sure that the needs of all members of the community are considered. This means more diverse membership on related committees and commissions and will require that feedback is sought from people throughout the community, include renters, people with low incomes, people of color, and people with disabilities, all of whom experience greater impact from the housing shortage than others.

Our Equitable Zoning Reform Campaign

​Bad Zoning Laws Are Why We  Can't Have Nice Things!

The City of Evanston received Joining Forces' Equitable Zoning Report as input into Envision Evanston--its process to rewrite the City's Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code. With the zoning code rewrite, the City's intent is to modernize the zoning map, rules, and processes to meet current needs, using as much community input as they can get, from all sectors of the community. 

Joining Forces is is now running an Equitable Zoning Reform  Campaign to ensure that the City Council passes a new zoning code that achieves our goals  for zoning reform. Throughout the campaign, we will be urging community members to share their input with City Council members, as well as with the Land Use Commission.  Our activities throughout the campaign will focus on helping you and other community members to know what's happening, how you can get involved, and when you need to show up. 

VISIT EQUITABLE ZONING REFORM CAMPAIGN WEB PAGE

What You Need to Know

Calendar
The process for passing a new zoning code will involve the following:

• A series of meetings of the City's Land Use Commission culminating in a vote, currently scheduled for January 15
• A series of discussions by the City Council, with a goal for a final vote in March

Here is the Joining Forces Campaign Calendar that shows these meetings, as well as other campaign activities.

Workshops
If you want to learn more about zoning overall as you prepare to support the campaign, see our Workshops. You can sign up for those that are already scheduled or request one to be scheduled for your group.

 Ways to Provide Input
See our Take Action page for information and tools to register your hopes and concerns around zoning reform. You can speak at City Council or a Land Use Commission, but you can also write letters, encourage others to get involved, sign on to petitions, and take a variety of other actions.

If You Have Questions or Suggestions
You can reach us at [email protected].