Emphasizing climate-friendly buildings, City Council accepts CARP update
Climate-friendly buildings and workforce development were on the table Monday in an update on the Climate Action and Resilience Plan’s implementation that City Council voted to accept and file.
Council unanimously passed CARP in 2018, committing to achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. Advancements since the plan’s passage have included adopting the Environmental Justice Resolution, which recognizes the disproportionate impact environmental disasters have on people of color, and launching the Partners for Places grant, which focuses on transitioning affordable housing units into buildings that are climate resilient with net-zero carbon emissions.
Evanston Now
Recap: Planning and Development Committee
Here s a recap of our live coverage of this evening s Evanston City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting.
Here’s a recap of our live coverage of this evening’s Evanston City Council Planning and Development Committee meeting.
The committee is expected to act on a proposal to change the city’s zoning code to permit tiny homes.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. A packet with information on the agenda items is available online.
Meeting called to order at 5:12 p.m.
Meeting chaired by Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward.
Evanston Now
The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.
A packet with information on tonight’s agenda items is available online.
Meeting called to order at 5:35 p.m.
Alderman Judy Fiske, 1st Ward, not present at the start of the meeting, but arrived later.
Mayor Steve Hagerty introduces Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Notes that County distributed $632K in federal COVID-19 funds to the city to help with pandemic-related costs and is working on additional aid. He also notes Housing Authority of Cook County mixed-income housing project at Emerson and Sherman.
Preckwinkle says county balanced its budget without raising property taxes and also provided funding for equity programs.
Running for her fourth term in the 2021 municipal elections, Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) said she prioritizes rebuilding Evanston’s economy.
“We need to fill our storefronts, (and) we need to support our small businesses,” Fiske said, adding that the City has lost immense tax revenue amid the pandemic and needs more federal funding to continue to support local entrepreneurs.
Fiske said the city cannot rebuild the economy without first distributing the COVID-19 vaccine. Though she acknowledged that some may be hesitant about the vaccine, she said it is important to spread the message that getting inoculated serves the community.
Additionally, Fiske wants to continue to protect Evanston lands if reelected. She said the lakefront remains threatened by erosion, and City Council must invest in its preservation.
City Council authorized City Manager Erika Storlie to execute a two-year security contract extension with Phoenix Security that would guarantee security at city-owned parking garages during Monday’s virtual meeting.
Council first approved of a professional services agreement with Phoenix Security in December 2019, which granted the company to provide security services at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. The Civic Center closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, but upon its reopening for essential employees, security returned to assist with check-in and COVID-19 symptom questioning.
Ald. Peter Braithwaite (2nd) expressed support for the contract extension.
“I think our residents should know that… although (the Civic Center) is closed to the public, there are still staff that access the building,” Braithwaite said. “We have to sign in, we have our temperatures checked, and I think especially when we don’t have normal full staff and residents moving, I think it’s espec