Downtown Evanston has seen a boom of high rise towers with a growing population living in the clouds. The fantastic views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline add to it’s appeal. The boom in high rise development all started about 8 years ago and has yet to really slow. The city center has become a market of it’s own within Evanston’s greater real estate market.
Many area residents feel that the level of density already created should signal a slowing point to large scale developments. Local roads and infrastructure can absorb the current increase in population density but probably wouldn’t be able to handle thousands of additional condo units without major road expansion, which is unlikely to happen. I’m glad to hear, “The Tower” has been downsized in the planning stages. It’s original design was really tacky and would have been an eyesore, viewable from miles away.
Whatever your opinion is on the aesthetics of Downtown Evanston’s future skyline, the growth has attracted people to a prosperous retail/residential district. It once suffered from lack of interest and focus. It’s now fantastic and has a healthy balance of residential and commercial space. There is an exceptional array of restaurants, retailers and new parking garages. A tremendously diverse amount of housing stock is available offering anything from loft ceilings to lake views. Downtown Evanston has not just become a destination point but rather a place to reside & dine. It’s become vibrant but still charming like the old Evanston. Here is an article written by the Chicago Tribune about the downtown Evanston transformation.
