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September, 2023
The Economic Development Division compiles a Monthly Progress Report to deliver timely Evanston area business news and initiatives, economic indicators, and relevant resources.
Top Stories
Evanston Thrives plan presented at American Planning Association Conference
Mayor Biss, Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak, and All Together founder Marisa Schulz presented Business District Revitalization through Actionable Placemaking at the American Planning Association - Illinois Chapter in September. Exciting to get to share this work on Evanston Thrives with fellow planners throughout the state!
The City Council and Economic Development Committee have begun scoring their plan priorities, and our team can’t wait to get to work on implementation! Want to learn more? Find the full plan and more on our website.
Key Data
Comparison of Evanston unemployment by percentage for the last three months.
Unemployment rate (August): 4.6 percent
New businesses openings (September): Five in 2023 compared to four in 2022
Downtown Vacancy rates: Office,11.5 percent. Retail,12.2 percent
Sales Tax collected (August): $2,099,957.29
Recent commercial property transactions: Three commercial sales in August totaling $5,080,000 and generating $33,660 in Real Estate Transfer Tax.
Putting the Numbers into Context
Evanston's vacancy rates continued to decrease to pre pandemic levels. Economic Development staff continue to monitor office vacancies as the return to is occuring at a slow pace, and its impact on upcoming lease renewals is potentially concerning. Though Evanston’s unemployment rate has slightly increased, it continues to trend better than the Chicago region and Illinois.
Welcome, New Businesses!
Choong Man (CM) Chicken open in Downtown
Choong Man Chicken (CM Chicken) is now open at 1009 Davis Street! This fast casual Korean-style fried chicken is ultra crispy and addictively good. CM Chicken started in Korea in 2009 and the Evanston shop is now their seventh U.S. location! Read more about their story!
New businesses opened in September, 2023
Get to Know....
Endoscopy Center of the North Shore!
Meet Dr. Manoj Mehta, a lifelong Chicagoan and owner of Endoscopy Center of the North Shore, a state of the art, spa-like facility located at 1732 Central St. We caught up with Dr. Mehta to tour his newly renovated building and learn more about his story and his practice. Watch our video interview!
City Initiatives
Legacy Business Program
The City of Evanston’s new Legacy Business Alliance program is designed to celebrate, advocate for, and retain Evanston’s living heritage as embodied through the legendary businesses which contribute significantly to the City’s historic, cultural, economic, or social identity.
Next steps? The Legacy Business Working Group is working with Evanston-based brand studio, Glantz, to help develop a unique, customized logo and website for the program. Evanston has hundreds of legacy businesses. The working group has selected 32 to pilot this important new program. The pilot list is available on the Legacy Business Program website. Watch for profiles and video interviews featured on the new website and in our newsletters. Stay tuned!
 Dave's Italian Kitchen- One of Evanston’s Legacy Businesses
Meet Dave Glatt, owner of Dave's Italian Kitchen!
Meet one of our Legacy Business owners Dave Glatt of Dave’s Italian Kitchen, located at 815 Noyes St. (their fifth location) and established in 1972. Watch our video interview to learn more about him and the business- then stop by and visit them for some delicious homemade food!
Economic Development Committee
In case you missed it, here’s what happened at the September 27, 2023, Economic Development Committee:
Items Discussed
- Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak presented the Evanston Thrives Prioritization Analysis, including the methodology of the scoring and a review of the top 10 City-wide priorities as well as the top priorities for each district. Overall, placemaking equipment (furniture, firepits, stages, etc.) and clear gateway signage for each district were among the highest ranked, as well as funds for community events, streetscape enhancements, and activating a downtown theater plaza. View the full ranking list of all recommendations.
- The Committee discussed a proposal to change the composition of the Economic Development Committee to include:
- One additional Evanston business owner
- Ex Officio position for director of Downtown Evanston SSA
- Ex Officio position for director of Main Dempster Mile SSA
- Ex Officio position for director of Central Street SSA
- Ex Officio position for director of future Howard Street SSA
The Committee was generally supportive of the proposal. Next steps? The request must cycle through the referrals committee incorporating Economic Development Committee feedback.
Coming up
The next Economic Development Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 6 p.m. The meeting agenda will be posted on the web page 48 hours prior to the meeting.
Contact Us
Got questions? We want to hear from you! The Economic Development Division is available to connect with you to discuss new businesses, grants and other resources to help you expand your business, business district activities, community outreach events, and any new ideas you may have to improve Evanston’s business environment. We would also like to hear from you about features you would like to see in this monthly report, including data analyses and business features/interviews.
Visit our website to learn more about business support grants and programs and to register your business.
Feel free to contact us directly.
Paul Zalmezak, Economic Development Manager, 847.448.8013
Katie Boden, Economic Development Specialist, 847.448.8132
Neal Reeves, Economic Development Specialist, 847.859.7833
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