Evanston's Land Use Commission voted Wednesday, June 24 to recommend the Three Crowns Park renovation but rejected the retirement community's proposed 28-space surface parking lot after a nearly four-hour public hearing.

The commission voted 6-0 to approve converting roughly 80 vacant studio apartments in the Pioneer Place building at 2323 McDaniel Ave. into 23 one- and two-bedroom independent living units. On the parking lot, commissioners voted 2-6 against, with only Chair Max Puchtel and Commissioner Loren Berlin supporting it. City planner Sam Hubbard had suggested the commission vote on the two items separately.

The parking lot would have been built along Colfax Street, eliminating approximately 11,800 square feet of green space. Neighbors organized under the group Keep Evanston Green submitted 213 signatures opposing it, and Sixth Ward resident Emily Nash, who lives at 2405 Colfax St. across from Three Crowns, commissioned a counter-study from parking consultant KLOA that concluded the facility already has adequate parking.

Commissioner Jameika Mangum, who voted against the lot, said she was "apprehensive about getting rid of over 11,000 square feet of green space for parking."

Three Crowns Park, owned by Covenant Living, has an existing 103-space underground garage that will reach full capacity once new Pioneer Place residents move in, forcing staff to park on surrounding streets. Randy Gross, Covenant Living's senior vice president of project development, warned commissioners that without the lot, employees would have no choice but to park on neighborhood streets.

Residents at the hearing also raised concerns about pedestrian safety near Lincolnwood Elementary School, which they said would see more students following recent school closures in Evanston/Skokie School District 65, and argued the lot would conflict with the city's Climate Action and Resilience Plan.

Both items now advance to City Council for final consideration. The commission's parking lot rejection is a recommendation, not a binding vote. No council meeting date for the item has been announced.