Consultants outline Evanston’s federal ‘Putting Assets to Work’ study and public engagement

Consultants leading Evanston’s federally funded "Putting Assets to Work" effort gave an update to residents and council members on community outreach, technical studies and next steps.

"Putting Assets to Work is a federal grant that the city of Evanston applied for and was lucky enough to receive," said Ryan Porter, principal at Impact Collective, describing the program’s aim to hire consultants to help imagine new uses or improvements for city‑owned assets. The team is focusing on three properties: the police and fire headquarters, 2100 Ridge (the civic center), and the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.

Porter said the team has run ward meetings, stakeholder interviews, tenant meetings for arts tenants at Noyes, and larger community sessions over the past six to seven months. Ideas are being collected on a public website and in suggestion boxes; the team reported roughly 60 ideas posted, about 300 likes and roughly 265 active participants on the platform.

The consultants described a spectrum of interventions ranging from light, programmatic changes at Noyes to heavy redevelopment if police and fire relocate. "That building might get torn down and something new gets built there — that's not 100 percent — but there could be heavy‑touch redevelopment," Porter said of the police and fire site.

Organizers emphasized that ideas supported on the website will be aggregated and those with the most community backing will undergo a formal feasibility analysis this summer. The team aims to assemble a recommended action plan for staff and City Council in September that will include feasibility conclusions and implementation options. Any eventual changes still must proceed through the regular land‑use, zoning and public‑hearing processes.

The team is scheduling public engagement events to gather more input: a civic center tour with four 20‑person slots on May 27 and a Spanish‑language public meeting that evening with interpretation. "We want to make sure we give those who prefer to speak Spanish the opportunity to engage," Porter said.

Next steps include completion of condition assessments by consultants working with Cordigan Clark, targeted feasibility analyses this summer, and continued outreach to working groups such as the Trade Collective and Design Evanston. The team said federal grant funds are paying for the technical services, not city general funds.

The consultants encouraged residents to join the website, post and support ideas, and to attend the May 27 tour and follow‑up engagement sessions.