No neighborhood is an island.  What happens in Southeast Evanston affects Evanston, and events throughout Evanston affect us, too.  

SEA keeps a watchful eye on the City Council and its committees and commissions and an interested eye on other neighborhood, commercial, and civic activities relating to all aspects of life in Evanston.  We will try to keep you informed on programs, meetings, and developments of interest to all of us and help useful information flow in all directions.

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October 12, 2025

 District 65 and 202 Board Members Evanston Illinois

 Dear School Board Members,

The Southeast Evanston Association wants to help our school districts since many of our members have school age children. We therefore want to make you aware of a proposal before the City Council that could have substantial impact on your financial future. If the following concerns you, we urge you to reach out to the City Council Members and make them aware of your concerns. 

The City and the Schools

Every Council Member was asked during their recent campaign “What can the City do for the schools?” I certainly was, many Ames. The short answer was always “not much, because the school districts are separate government entities.” 

But the proposed development at 605 Davis has raised an issue that can change the answer from “not much” to “a lot”. 

The Problem

School districts receive most of their funds from property taxes, but the future growth of property taxes is under threat. The developer for 605 Davis, a 31-story apartment building, wants to take advantage of a new Illinois law and allocate 20% of their units for affordable housing. In exchange, they would receive a huge tax abatement that could be worth as much as $40 million over the next 15 years. This would leave the school districts high and dry, locking in property taxes at the existing assessment.

With D65 and 202 representing about 70% of our property taxes, that translates to about $28 million of desperately needed funds that will not be going to keep our schools funded over the next 15 years. 

Council can Say No

But it does not have to be this way. The Council can just tell the developer that they will not approve the variances requested for this project if they want the 20% affordability abatement. The Council could say that if they change their proposal to offer only 10% affordability and forgo the tax break, the project could meet with the Council’s approval. 

So, what is the tradeoff here?

·         The additional 10% over the City’s required 10% amounts to only 43 units.

·         With a tax abatement of $40M, that amounts to nearly a million dollars per unit to make these 43 units “affordable”.

·         But most of these affordable units would be studios and single bedrooms units, so who are we really helping? Certainly not families, most likely graduate students.

·         Meanwhile our schools and even our City will suffer from the lack property taxes.

Long term financial threat

The problem is that this issue is much bigger than just 605 Davis. Whatever comes out of Envision Evanston, there will be increased momentum for development City wide. If a newly planned building is over 7 units, the developer can take advantage of this tax windfall by offering 20% of the units as affordable. This means that both the School Districts and the City will not see any financial benefit from the Envision Evanston expansion effort. 

But both the school districts and the City would have to absorb the cost of any new infrastructure and students which means the existing tax payers would foot the burden of the new development for the next 15 years. The Council has to address this real possibility with a policy that lets developers know that if they are going to take advantage of this tax loophole, they will have to adhere to the current zoning restrictions. In other words, no variances.

Why should the City help the Schools?

Why should the Council discourage the 20% tax benefit when affordable housing is in such demand? Because our school systems are a key reason people want to live in Evanston and the Council’s first obligation is to existing residents. Given the current financial state of D65, what had been a positive attribute of Evanston, our schools, is now just the opposite – a big negative. 

The City Council can contribute to improving our school system by saying NO to the 20% tax benefit at 605 Davis. Please contact your Council Member and let them know that the school districts cannot afford a program that locks them out of future growth of property taxes.
Best Regards,

John B. Kennedy SEA President

(847) 642-6501

johnbkennedy@icloud.com

CC: SEA Members

September 28, 2025 -Opposition to 605 Davis Street Planned Development

To: Evanston City Council

Re: Opposition to 605 Davis Street Planned Development

Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,

The Southeast Evanston Association respectfully urges the City Council to uphold the recommendation of the Land Use Commission and deny the proposed 605 Davis Street planned development in its current form. The Commission’s review was thorough, and its findings reflect the concerns of residents across Evanston who value fiscal responsibility, consistent zoning, and livable neighborhoods.

Our members are deeply concerned about the financial implications of this project, specifically the tax breaks the developers are reaping because of the 20% affordability allocation. Both the City and our public schools, District 65 and District 202, face significant fiscal challenges. District 65, for example, is in the midst of a deficit reduction plan that requires difficult cuts to programs and services, along with the closure of several top-performing neighborhood elementary schools. Approving a development of this scale that shifts additional tax burdens onto existing residents, is unacceptable. Southeast Evanston residents already shoulder some of the highest effective property tax burdens in the city, and any shortfall in projected revenue from this project would fall disproportionately on them and other taxpayers.We are equally troubled by the extent of the variances being requested. Evanston’s zoning code is designed to ensure predictability and fairness for residents, businesses, and institutions alike.Granting allowances of this magnitude—in building height, density, and parking—undermines the integrity of the code and sets a precedent that will weaken the City’s ability to manage future development responsibly. With the Envision Evanston Comprehensive Plan still being finalized, now is not the time to permit extraordinary exceptions that risk outpacing our planning framework by setting dangerous zoning and fiscal precedents.

Finally, this project would exacerbate real, existing issues in our neighborhoods. The sharply reduced on-site parking proposed—roughly eighty spaces for more than four hundred residential units— virtually guarantees spillover into already crowded streets. Southeast Evanston residents contend daily with limited overnight parking, and this development would add significant new pressures that our neighborhoods are ill-equipped to absorb. The reliance on leased spaces in municipal garages does not address these already experienced impacts and places additional operational burdens on the City.

For all of these reasons, we respectfully ask the City Council to follow the considered judgment of the Land Use Commission and deny the 605 Davis Street proposal. The Southeast Evanston Association supports reinvestment in downtown Evanston, but only when projects are fiscally sound for all parties and consistent with adopted plans and codes, and respectful of the neighborhoods that surround them.

Sincerely,

Southeast Evanston Association

cc: SEA Membership

SEA Board Letter to the Editor: Gambling in Evanston

EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE - April 8th, 2024

Council Members of the Evanston Human Services Committee, 

As board members of the Southeast Evanston Association (SEA), we are writing to  convey our deep concerns regarding the proposal to introduce video gaming machines into our community.  

The proliferation of video gaming, often in less visible sections of public venues such as restaurants and bars, presents a regulatory challenge that can lead to unchecked  gambling practices. 

Overwhelming evidence from numerous academic studies on this issue compel us to  highlight the potential for severe financial and emotional harm stemming from  compulsive engagement with these machines. The addictive nature of video gaming  can ensnare individuals in a cycle of dependency with far-reaching consequences.  Particularly to the most vulnerable Evanstonians, including children. 

The presence of video gaming machines in establishments frequented by families  poses a notable risk to young individuals. Despite legal restrictions on age, the  accessibility of these machines in establishments that permit minors increases the  likelihood of exposure to gambling activities among children.  

The prospect of generating revenue through video gaming is weighed against the moral and social costs. We contend that the potential negative impacts on our community’s fabric and values far surpass any short-term fiscal advantages. The reliance on gambling-derived income is a precarious foundation for community development, fraught with ethical concerns and the potential for long-term harm. 

In light of these considerations, the SEA Board strongly urges the Evanston Human  Services Committee to VOTE NO on the forthcoming video gaming measure.  

Respectfully, 

The Southeast Evanston Association Board