🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Evanston, IL
Evanston’s Big Plan, Bigger Change for STRs - Draft Plan Could Shut the Door on Non-Owners
Evanston’s Big Plan, Bigger Change for STRs
Evanston’s long-running debate over short-term vacation rentals is on the brink of a major shift. At its August 4 meeting, City Council approved language in the draft comprehensive plan that would ban non-owner-occupied short-term rentals—a move that could significantly reshape the local STR market.
The proposal is part of the city’s larger Envision Evanston 2045 plan, a broad blueprint for housing, development, and land use. While plenty of items in the plan are couched in cautious “ifs” and “explores,” this one came through as a clear action item: develop new policies to regulate STRs and eliminate non-owner-occupied units.
For months, residents and councilmembers have voiced concerns about absentee-run rentals. Critics say they disrupt neighborhoods, drive up housing costs, and leave homes empty between guest stays. Supporters of the ban believe requiring an owner to live on-site will keep neighborhoods stable and better maintained.
STRisker Document Analysis
Finding the right compliance documents shouldn’t feel like searching for a needle in a haystack - STRisker’s Documents Analysis is built to simplify your life, offering instant access to hundreds of thousands of documents from thousands of cities across the US.
This push for tighter rules isn’t happening in isolation. The same meeting saw council approve measures to reduce minimum lot and dwelling sizes to encourage more housing options. Still, short-term rentals got special attention, reflecting the city’s desire to strike a balance between tourism benefits and housing stability.
Fifth Ward Councilmember Bobby Burns spearheaded the STR language, which came without the kinds of qualifiers seen in other parts of the plan. Many housing items—like multi-unit expansion—were tempered with conditions (“if doing so will reduce housing costs…”), but this one was straightforward: regulate and remove non-owner rentals.
With a final vote on the comprehensive plan looming as early as August 18, the clock is ticking. If the council misses that deadline, city code requires either another public hearing or sending the plan back to the Land Use Commission.
For STR hosts who don’t live on their rental property, the message is clear: change may be coming fast, and it could mean a complete exit from the market. Whether that creates more housing stability or just reduces lodging options for visitors will be the subject of heated debate in the days ahead.
Stay Updated with STRisker
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short-Term Rental movement across the U.S.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?
We're constantly refining Daily Notes to make it even more useful for you.
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.