Developer Jeffrey Michael, Chief Operating Officer of the Horizon Realty Group, is proposing to build The Legacy, a mixed-use 18-story, 180 unit building just south of the firm's The Merion retirement community. He has included an increased number of affordable units to the project.
Evanston RoundTable reports that the development site currently includes a half dozen storefront businesses as well as the popular restaurant "Found." The developers are in talks with some of the storefront spaces about including them in the new project.
The same group's nearly three year effort to gain approval for a 17 story high-rise building at the site failed to advance out of the Council committee in October of 2020. The strongest criticism was due to its mass and height.
At the virtual First Ward meeting that took place on February 3rd, Michael said the proposed 18 story building would add more people to the downtown area where the population had been stagnant to ensure that the restaurants that we love and the small businesses we support will remain, and that the new ones will fill our vacant storefronts.
"The simple fact is Evanston needs more residents to support the business district, and that's what The Legacy is going to bring -- more than 300 new residents living in the heart of Evanston's business and shopping district, supporting the local economy every day."
Chief Operating Officer at Horizon Realty Group | Jeffrey Michael
Quite a few speakers at the meeting raised concerns with the incompatibility of the project with projects to the east, including First United Methodist Church. The church sits across an alley from the proposed building.
Senior Pastor of First United Methodist, Grace Imathiu, expressed her concern with the church's sacred space, which includes a courtyard and a memorial garden. She was worried that this space would be violated by the proposed building. She stated that there is no way we can escape it. She felt that the building was just too tall. It's beautiful but it is out of place according to Grace Imathiu.
William Brown, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at First United Methodist, maintained that the proposed 18 story building was just too overbearing on the adjacent historic built environment. It would be only 20 feet away from the church across what will be a congested alley. Brown felt disturbed that such a project would be considered for the east side of Chicago Avenue where the buildings step down as they move towards the lake.
Another speaker, Bob Froetscher, said that he had checked and researched and understood the zoning requirements of the area before buying his condo which is located near the proposed project. He believes that the building violates those zoning requirements.
He also said he had checked the city's 2009 Consolidated Plan which is a document that the city drew up after researching best practices across cities in the U.S.
He stated that this block should have buildings no taller than six to 10 stories. Looking at the buildings, including the Merion, none of them are more than six to 10 stories. He also stated that this is a residential district and not just a business district.
Michael responded to him, noting that the developers necessarily have to build a structure with enough units to have an impact on the local economy and advance Evanston's affordable housing goals.
LOOKING FOR MORE MIXED-USE PROJECTS IN THE CHICAGO AREA?
The project will have significant economic impact and generate $1.5 million in overall new revenue, compared to the $100,000 in property tax revenue that currently comes from the property.
The project would also add five more units of affordable housing as a public benefit, for a total of 18 units on site. That is a change from the group's earlier proposal, where Horizon paid into an affordable housing fund to support affordable housing off site.
Jonathan Perman, a consultant to Horizon and former executive Director of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, said the additional units will increase the number of affordable units in downtown Evanston by about 20%.
He stated that this will be the largest commitment ever of affordable housing in a market rate project in downtown Evanston. Not everyone at the meeting agreed with him.
"The reality is that we have hundreds of homeless families in School District 65. We have families that need two, three and even four bedrooms, and I can't get up and cheer, because you are going to give us one bedroom - that's not going to give us what we need."
Local Activist | Darlene Cannon
According to Michael, market rate rents in the new building are projected to be anywhere from:
- $1,500 to $1,700 a month for a studio apartment
- $1,900 to $2,100 a month for a one-bedroom unit
- $2,500 to $2,900 a month for a two-bedroom unit
The project is still at an early stage. The developers must file an application for a planned development, which would kick off the public hearing process through various committees. Final approval rests with the City Council.
