Envision Evanston 2045, the document that, when approved, will be the city’s comprehensive plan for the next two decades, may be in its final stages of scrutiny. 

Early Steps
A comprehensive plan is a guide or framework, not a mandate; the city’s last comprehensive plan was approved in 2000. The Envision Evanston 2045 initiative was launched in February 2024, and a draft document was released to the public in November 2024. 

The original intent was to have the final document include a comprehensive plan and an overhaul of the zoning code. After much protest and questioning by residents, the City Council split the two, putting the comprehensive plan up for discussion first and deferring discussion of the zoning code.  

Discussions and Revisions
At a series of hearings before the Land Use Commission, public comment on the draft Comprehensive Plan was passionate both in favor of and opposed to the document, certain aspects of it, or the process itself. While few, if any, appeared to disagree with the goals of the plan, many were doubtful about or opposed to the proposed means to achieve them. In late spring, the LUC sent a revised document to City Council, which has ultimate authority to revise and reject or approve. 

Envision Evanston 2045 currently has sections titled Neighborhoods and Places; Community Systems; Getting Around; Climate Action and the Environment; Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces; Housing; Health and Well-Being; Economic Development; Arts and Culture; and Preservation. Drafts of the document can be found at EnvisionEvanston2045.com.  Also on that site are comments by the Mayor and the Council members, as well as edits accepted by the Council. Staff members try to keep this document current. 

As at the LUC, Council members have spent several special meetings, each lasting hours, on the document, in addition to preparatory time outside formal meetings. The focus has, at times, been more on wordsmithing and parsing than in looking at the overall content. Public comment still appears to be divided between opposition to and support for the plan.  

Housing continues to be a contentious issue. Many appear to agree that living in Evanston is becoming out of reach for many middle-income professionals such as teachers, social workers, firefighters, police officers, artists and nurses. Yet there is concern that policies in the comprehensive plan– and likely more so in the still-to-be developed zoning proposal– will turn the housing process over to developers, thus decreasing affordability. 

Reflecting this concern, at their September 15, 2025 meeting, Council members only narrowly approved language endorsing the expansion of “by-right” housing development. Generally, a “by right” development adheres to the local zoning code and thus can bypass scrutiny by other committees. The specific language used was complex, and 5 members voted for the item, with 4 voting against it. 

Notably lacking in the entire plan is a chapter on education (though schools do receive some attention in the chapter on Community Systems, such as a suggestion that institutions collaborate to expand “programming opportunities”). The reason for this omission has not been fully, if at all, explained. It may be that, since the school districts are separate taxing bodies from the city, and the City Council has no authority on education policies, the decision was to keep the plan to aspects the city can control.

What Comes Next
Although the public testimony section of the hearing ended on September 15, and Council subsequently approved several specific revisions, the hearing itself was continued until October 20. At that meeting, there will still be a time for public comment, Mayor Daniel Biss said.  

Whenever the final vote comes, it is likely that the plan will not receive unanimous approval. Some Council members and residents may be glad to see the process end, even on a split vote. But such a narrow margin may be a harbinger of continuing dissatisfaction with the process and the plan. Many may regret that this important community effort has been more divisive than unifying.

However, it is a 20-year document, and, as the City grows and evolves, it is likely that the plan will as well.