5th Ward: Meeting & News

Thursday, June 26, 2025   |   View in browser

I want to remind everyone about our hybrid ward meeting today, Thurs., June 26, at 7 p.m. Folks may join in-person at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center in the auditorium, or online. We meet on the last Thursday of each month, so please mark your calendars.

Join via Google Meet
Join via Phone: 516-667-0566‬
PIN: ‪598 631 691‬#

Below are the topics we’ll be discussing:

• Public Safety Update: Evanston Police Department will provide a brief update at our Ward meeting regarding a recent shooting incident near Foster and Emerson. EPD has increased patrols in key areas and continues to actively investigate. This meeting is an opportunity to hear directly from EPD and ask any general public safety questions.

• Lead Service Line Replacement: As part of the 2025 Water Main Replacement Project, lead service lines are being replaced on several Fifth Ward blocks. While outreach has included postcards, yard signs, and door-to-door visits, participation is currently lower than expected on some streets. The next blocks scheduled for work include:
  
  
  • Brown Ave. (Foster to Simpson)
  • Hartrey Ave. (Church to Emerson)
  • Lemar Ave. (Lyons to Emerson)
  • Foster St. (Lemar to Hartrey)
  • Laurel Ave. (Lyons to Emerson)
  • Grey Ave. (Church to Emerson)
  • Hovland Ct. (Church to Emerson)
  • Dodge Ave. (Church to Simpson)
  • Lyons Ave. (east of Darrow)

The City’s Water Division will join our June 26 Ward meeting to provide an update and answer resident questions.

• eLEAP Youth Learning Program: Funded by ARPA, eLEAP (Evanston Learning, Empowerment & Advancement Program) offers scholarships for after-school and summer learning programs, along with STEAM activities and college prep support for 5th–12th grade students in underserved areas. We’ll be discussing how this program can benefit 5th Ward youth at our next Ward meeting. A representative from the eLEAP team will join us to share more details and answer questions.

Si desea recibir este boletín en español, por favor envíeme un correo electrónico a bburns@cityofevanston.org.

Brown Avenue Affordable Housing Project Moving Forward

We officially closed on the property at 1831–1835 Brown Avenue, a vacant parcel the City purchased to develop permanently affordable housing under my leadership. This site was acquired for $350,000 from Tabernacle Baptist Church and will be used to create a mix of affordable condos for sale and rental apartments. We’re partnering with CPAH, an affordable housing organization, to move this project forward. Their preliminary plan would split the lot into three parcels, each with two family-sized condo units and an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) rental. In total, that’s six new condo homes and three rental units on Brown Ave.

All of these homes will be kept affordable permanently through a community land trust model operated by CPAH. The condos are expected to be sold for around $200,000 each to households making at or below 80% of the area median income, and the land trust will cap resale profits to ensure they remain affordable for future families. The ADU apartments will be owned by the housing nonprofit and rented to families earning under 60% of the area median income. With the land now secured, we can begin pre-development work with CPAH. I’ll continue to update you as timelines and building plans are finalized, but for now, it’s great news that we’ve crossed this milestone and are one big step closer to new affordable homes in our community.

Evanston Grows Urban Farm: Engagement and Next Steps

You may have heard about Evanston Grows’ proposal for a one-acre urban farm in our ward. I want to clarify how this came about and address some misinformation out there. Evanston Grows, a local nonprofit fighting food insecurity, received $350,000 through the City’s participatory budgeting process (with over 3,000 residents voting for it) to create a large community garden or urban farm. The funding comes from federal ARPA relief dollars and must be used by 2026, so the group has been working with City staff and consultants to find a suitable location. Two park sites were recently considered for the roughly one-acre farm: Twiggs Park and Butler Park, since each had about an acre of open, unobstructed, and relatively level green space. However, we knew from the start that nothing would be decided without robust community input.

Over the past few months, we have done extensive public outreach to get feedback on the urban farm idea. Here are some of the steps we took to involve neighbors and gather input:

• Mailed over 600 postcards to households within 500 feet of both Twiggs and Butler Parks, notifying residents about the project and how to give feedback.

• Posted signs with QR codes at both park sites linking to surveys and information on the proposal.

• Knocked on doors and spoke in person with nearby residents – I personally went door-to-door along with Parks Director Audrey Thompson to explain the idea and invite folks to community meetings.

• Hosted multiple community meetings (at least two so far, including one on March 12 at Fleetwood-Jourdain Center and another in mid-April) for residents to learn more, ask questions, and voice opinions. I also held a meeting with immediate neighbors on May 17 at Butler Park.

Throughout this engagement, we emphasized that no final decision had been made on locating the farm. We were genuinely exploring whether there was neighborhood support for placing the community-driven urban farm project (developed and voted on by Evanston residents) in either park. The feedback we received was mixed, which is exactly why we do engagement. Some neighbors were excited about the idea of growing fresh food locally and saw the farm as a welcome resource. Many more residents expressed concerns about losing open green space or the scale of the operation. We reminded them that the plan does not involve pesticides, heavy equipment, vehicles, or farm animals. We listened carefully to all perspectives.

I want to stress that this urban farm was never something being forced on the Fifth Ward by the City. It originated from residents’ ideas and was approved by voters through participatory budgeting. Our job as City officials was to help facilitate a process to see if the community wanted to host it and, if so, where. Given the feedback, Butler Park and Twiggs Park are no longer being considered for the farm’s location. Evanston Grows is now stepping back to evaluate other possible locations and approaches, keeping in mind the community’s input and the need to use the grant funds by 2026. No site will be selected without neighborhood support. I’m proud of the outreach we did – we truly tried to include everyone in the conversation – and I’m grateful to all who engaged with honest feedback. Going forward, we’ll continue to be transparent and collaborative as this project evolves. The goal of the urban farm remains to provide free, fresh produce and educational opportunities to Evanston residents, and we’ll work to find a way to achieve that goal in a location that neighbors embrace.

Annual “Evanston Recycles” Event, June 28

The City's annual "Evanston Recycles" event will take place this weekend on Sat., June 28, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Evanston Township High School.

Each year, this free “drive-up, drop-off” event offers community members the opportunity to recycle and donate a variety of items, as well as securely shred documents. This year, the City will be collecting electronic waste, documents for shredding, and unused prescription medication and expired over-the-counter drugs. No other items will be accepted.

Community members participating in the event by car should enter the drop-off line on Church Street west of Dodge Avenue (view map below). Participants are asked to follow the signs to the drop-off area and remain in their cars. Participants are asked not to line up before 8 a.m.

Toddler Adventure Camp

Evanston was selected as one of just 16 U.S. cities to receive a $100,000 Love Your Block grant from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. The grant runs across 2024–2026 ($50K per year) and aims to fund resident-led neighborhood revitalization projects in the 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 9th wards  

One of the funded initiatives is The Toddler Adventure Camp, a free, community-driven summer experience for children ages 1 to 4, hosted in the art room at Fleetwood–Jourdain Center (1655 Foster Ave., Evanston). The camp runs from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on June 28, July 19, and August 16, and focuses on:

• Developing independence and social skills through group play and exploration

• Encouraging creativity and curiosity in a safe, structured environment

• Building early childhood milestones alongside other local families and volunteers

Celebrating Achievement: West End Area Block Club Recognizes Neighbors

Congratulations, Nathan Dvorák, Ph.D.

Your perseverance, hard work, dedication, and determination have truly paid off. We celebrate your incredible achievement in earning your Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Ph.D., Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Specialization: Nanotechnology & Solid-State Physics

Congratulations, Marx!

You’ve truly lived up to your name.

We are proud to celebrate your recognition as the recipient of Evanston Township High School’s Annual Teacher Excellence Award (TEA). Your dedication to your students and your unwavering commitment to meeting their needs are truly commendable.

You are a shining example of excellence in education.

Congratulations again from the West End Area Block Club!

Support a Fifth Ward Business!

Renee Feldman Studio, located at 2142 Ashland Ave, is now booking manicures, pedicures, no-chip services, and more. Owned by Renee Feldman—a proud member of the Ashland Arts Business District—this local gem was named one of Chicago’s 10 Best Hair Salons.

Book your appointment today at reneefeldman.com!

Bobby Burns
Councilmember, 5th Ward
224-714-2184
www.cityofevanston.org