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Development
Chicago

Evanston rejects Jeffrey Michael’s 15-story apartments project

Residents, council members say it’s too tall and dense for suburb’s downtown

Horizon’s Jeffrey Michael and Evanston council member Clare Kelly with Legacy Evanston rendering
Horizon’s Jeffrey Michael and Evanston council member Clare Kelly with Legacy Evanston rendering (Lincoln Park Builders, Clare Kelly, The Legacy Evanston, Getty)

The third time wasn’t the charm for Jeffrey Michael, as his proposal to build an apartment high-rise in downtown Evanston was rejected once again.

Evanston City Council members said no to the developer’s bid, siding with neighbors that a 15-story, 140-unit proposal for 1621-31 Chicago Avenue, called Legacy Evanston, would be too tall for that part of the north Chicago suburb, the Evanston RoundTable reported.

Michael’s firm, Chicago-based Horizon Realty Group, in September proposed an 18-story complex that included 18 affordable units. Horizon’s latest proposal is three stories shorter and included 10 affordable units, along with 7,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a two-story parking garage with 57 stalls.

Yet officials still opposed the project due to its height and density, claiming its proportions would be out of place in downtown’s transitional district.

“You know an eight-to-10-story development is allowed here,” council member Clare Kelly told the outlet, “but it’s about half of what’s being proposed and that is really over the top.”

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Jonathan Amarilio, a lawyer and member of the Horizon team, told Evanston’s Planning and Development Committee that the city is missing out a $60 million investment that would generate “significant tax revenues for the city, measured in the millions and millions of dollars over time, much of which will go to our public schools.”

He also noted the housing shortage in Evanston, with 97 percent of the housing market being occupied, while asserting that there’s not a single affordable unit in any market-rate building in town.

Aside from the size of the project, residents raised additional concerns at the recent council meeting. The development would “have an adverse impact on the use, enjoyment and value of adjoining properties including the 1st United Methodist Church and neighboring condos,” Bob Froetscher, an Evanston resident and chairman of the board of First United Methodist Church, told the outlet. Concerns over congestion and traffic were brought up, as well.

Council member Devon Reid was the only official to vote in favor of the development. He was disappointed in the result, saying the town needs more housing, affordable housing and economic growth downtown.

— Quinn Donoghue 

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Horizon Realty GroupJeffrey Michael
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Housing MarketMultifamily MarketRental MarketSuburban Chicago