Commission backs amended plan for 1611 Church Street, citing adaptive reuse and affordability tradeoffs

The Evanston Land Use Commission on Feb. 11 recommended approval, by a 7–0 vote, of an amendment to rezoning ordinance No. 59-0-24 and major variations to allow modifications to the approved development plan for 1611 Church Street (applicant CSE 16 11 LLC). The motion included five staff-recommended conditions and will go to City Council for final action.

Applicant Tom Gergachon described an adaptive-reuse redevelopment of a roughly 12,400-square-foot former industrial building into townhouse-style ownership units with shared common spaces. Gergachon told commissioners the project has been affected by higher construction costs and labor shortages and that extensive stormwater mitigation already installed on-site added substantial expense: he estimated about $65,000 in additional cost per dwelling unit to meet Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) requirements. He said the project had “gone... a million dollars over budget” and that adding two dwelling units would help restore the project’s financial viability.

Gergachon said the team consolidated common-area functions and proposed adding a two-bedroom, one-bath unit (about 1,000 square feet) atop a four-bay garage to increase the number of saleable units. He noted the property is all-electric and pre-piped for solar and that the team has planted 31 trees to exceed earlier commitments.

Commissioners questioned the garage frontage and streetscape, EV charging provision, and the project’s relationship to the inclusionary housing ordinance (IHO). Staff confirmed the applicant previously paid an in-lieu fee of $268,000 under the project’s original approval; commissioners and staff cited different calculations under the new ordinance that could raise the payment in lieu substantially (figures discussed in the hearing included staff references to amounts in the several-hundred-thousand-dollar range and a higher calculation cited during discussion). Commissioners clarified that waiver or change of the fee is a City Council matter; the Land Use Commission was asked only to consider the zoning variations to permit two additional units.

Staff recommended approval subject to five conditions (submit revised landscape plan documenting planted trees; identify and show 10 exterior bike parking spaces; modify the proposed northeast deck to a minimum 4.5-foot setback; construct improvements per application materials; and record any ordinance amendments with the Cook County Clerk prior to building permit issuance). The applicant accepted those conditions. After deliberation focusing on whether the additional revenue from the extra units is balanced by public benefits (adaptive reuse, added missing-middle units, stormwater mitigation and landscaping), the commission found the standards met and voted to recommend the rezoning amendment and major variations (roll call 7–0).

Next steps: staff will forward the recommendation and ordinance language to City Council; the applicant will work with staff on required submittals and Cook County recording prior to building permits.