The Evanston City Council moved forward at its Monday meeting with plans for Evanston Township High School to place a student-built affordable single-family home in the 9th Ward.
The sale of the city-owned vacant lot at 1222 Washington Street to the high school received heavy support from the council, earning an 8 to 1 vote approval. It also received support from 9th Ward residents, according to the ward’s councilmember, Juan Geracaris, but not from the proposed site’s closest neighbors, who showed up to Monday’s meeting and pleaded with the council to preserve the land as a garden.
Neighbors advocated for the land to be used as a green space for people to socialize and mingle in. St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Pope John XXIII School, Rice Education Center and the Lydia Home, a social services organization for children, are located on the same block.
“There are not a lot of us that live on this block, because there are all these institutions on the block,” said resident Chelsea Edward. “(The lot) is a legit green space, and it should stay that way. Don’t cut down the trees.”
“The residents on our block truly believe that this property is much better suited to serve as a community space to use for educational purposes, relaxation and natural conservation,” said resident Heather Miller.
Prior to 2022, the lot was bigger and housed Butcher Boy School of Music Production at 1224 Washington Street and a green space with grass and trees to the immediate east of it. The Land Use Commission approved a zoning variance to split the lot in half to create two lots: 1222 Washington Street and 1224 Washington Street.
In February, the City Council approved the purchase of the vacant lot at 1222 Washington Street for $231,000 with the intent to sell the home to ETHS. Each year, the high school teaches a class titled Geometry in Construction where students learn math and construction skills to build a home to be sold at an affordable price to a family that earns less than 120% of the area median income, which for a family of four would be $134,000.
The city also approved setting aside $100,000, should the property itself need work done on it before the house is installed.
As the Council was deliberating its decision to approve the sale, councilmembers strongly supported the Geometry in Construction program that some saw as a defining institution within Evanston.
“I represent the whole 9th Ward, not just one block,” Geracaris said. “Our city needs more affordable housing, and this house, while small, is bigger than just this moment. In 50 years, myself and these neighbors, who are wanting to stop this from happening, will likely be gone, but that house will still be there. It will still be affordable for whoever lives there.”
“One of the hardest parts of this job is how to handle disagreement,” he continued. “A lot of times the easiest course of action is just to maintain the status quo… This is a thing that’s really tempting when we consider our decisions that we have to make around how to use the limited land we have: zoning. It’s a big topic right now. It’s an important tool to stop bad and inappropriate things from happening. I think we all could agree that we don’t want to live next to a garbage dump, but zoning and the related approval process like we’ve seen here tonight shouldn’t be really used as a weapon to stop good things from happening. And putting off things is just one way to make sure it never gets done.”
At the previous City Council meeting on March 31, Geracaris attempted to pass the sale of the lot, but needed unanimous support from the Council to pass it on introduction. His attempt failed after two votes.
Councilmember Devon Reid (8th) called into question the legitimacy of the neighbors’ concern that a home would not be appropriate at its proposed location.
“I am calling into question the genuineness of it, because what’s stopping you from doing that now with the (community members) — invite them into your backyard… This is is just one of the things… that frustrates me about Evanston, about this NIMBY culture that can be pervasive here.”
Between Reid’s comments, critics of the proposed home in the audience tried to get a word in. Reid asserted he had control of the floor. Mayor Daniel Biss called for order in the chamber.
Councilmember Krissie Harris (2nd) defended the Geometry in Construction program against critics who said the ETHS student-built home could lower their homes’ property values. According to data from Cook County, the median single-family sale price in that neighborhood in 2024 was $760,000.
“When a new family gets there, I hope we treat them with respect and don’t undignify them because they couldn’t afford a $700,000 home,” Harris said.
Councilmember Tom Suffredin (6th), the sole councilmember who voted against the lot sale to ETHS, did not speak publicly about the ETHS home when the Council was discussing it.
