North Cook News

The city council of Evanston approves the first step in a change of zoning for a permanent homeless shelter in the city during its May 8 council meeting. 

Prior to the vote, officials were presented with an ordinance requesting a special use permit and zoning for the Margarita Inn at 1566 Oak Ave. This would serve as a permanent housing and shelter for the homeless, using 40 rooms to serve up to 76 guests. The building began operating as a temporary shelter during the pandemic under special emergency conditions, and the city has allowed it to continue to operate. However, it would need the recommended zoning changes to occur if it were to be a permanent installation. 

During the meeting, 60 people signed up to speak during the public comment portion, most of which wanted to make their thoughts heard on the Margarita Inn proposal. The hour of comments were mostly in support of the rezoning, however several were worried about the impact on their neighborhood and a further drain on city resources. 

“We have a problem here and we have to do something about it," council member Jonathan Nieuwsma said. "That problem is here not because we invited it here, not because downtown Evanston said, 'Hey, come and hang out,' We have a problem here because of who we are and where we are, and we need to do more to address these problems, to address the unhoused homeless, to address panhandling, vagrancy, antisocial behavior. We need to do more to address those problems.”

During public comment, a resident stated that housing is a human right. "You're not allowed to sleep out in a tent in the park. You'd be arrested for that. You're not allowed to sleep out in a tent anywhere in public or on someone else's private land unless they allowed you to. And so with that, we have to, as a municipality, as a federal government, as a state government, whatever, we have to prioritize creating housing opportunities for folks, even folks who are addicted, even folks who have mental illness, even folks who are at least proximate to power. We have to ensure that they have the basic dignity of housing, and that is what this project does."

The reports on the Margarita Inn have been varied, with some residents voicing their concerns over the increased violence and calls to police to the area since 2020. While others cite the reports from staff at the shelter in which residents often stay for just under a year, then they are able to move out into their own permanent homes afterwards. 

The council approved the ordinance with a 6-2 vote, with Clare Kelly and Thomas Suffredin voting against it as they said didn’t feel the city was prepared to handle such an organization and program yet under the current regulations imposed. There was a small amendment made before the passing, checking off the Good Neighbor Agreement as one of the requirements since it had been completed. The final operating permit will be put to a council vote at its May 22 meeting.