Southeast Evanston Association Files Opposition to Illinois BUILD Housing Package

On April 23, 2026, the Southeast Evanston Association submitted written testimony to the Illinois Senate Executive Committee opposing SB 4060 and the broader BUILD Illinois housing package.

SEA is one of Evanston’s oldest neighborhood organizations, representing residents in a distinctive and historic part of the city. Southeast Evanston includes landmark homes, naturally occurring affordable housing, multifamily buildings, and the Evanston Lakeshore Historic District. It is also served by major regional transit infrastructure, including Metra’s Union Pacific North Line and the CTA Purple Line.

Our neighborhood demonstrates that housing diversity, affordability, and preservation can coexist when municipalities retain the ability to make locally informed decisions.

SEA’s testimony raised concerns that SB 4060 and related BUILD proposals would broadly preempt local zoning and land-use authority, reduce meaningful public input, and impose one-size-fits-all mandates that do not reflect the distinct needs of established communities.

In Evanston, residents are already engaged in complex local conversations about affordability, transit-oriented development, historic preservation, infrastructure capacity, and displacement prevention. These issues require careful balancing through democratic local decision-making.

SEA’s statement identified several concerns, including:

• curtailing local zoning and planning authority

• increasing redevelopment pressure on modest homes and naturally occurring affordable housing

• accelerating displacement and speculative land value increases

• straining infrastructure, parking, schools, and public services

• undermining preservation efforts in historic and architecturally significant areas

SEA supports expanding housing opportunities through locally tailored solutions and community-driven planning. We do not support broad statewide mandates that weaken home rule, reduce public accountability, or override the local planning processes already underway in communities like Evanston.

Read SEA’s full written statement submitted to the Senate Executive Committee.