Evanston Demolishes Church for 33 Affordable Units

Renters earning 60% or less of area median income can expect new units on Church Street by next December.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Apartments

Cleared urban lot with fresh earth, brick rubble, and a survey stake, with a timber-frame building skeleton rising in the distance. — Demolition has begun on the former Mt. Pisgah Ministry building on Church Street in Evanston to make way for 33 affordable rental units. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Demolition has begun on the former Mt. Pisgah Ministry building at 1813-15 Church St. in Evanston to make way for a four-story, 33-unit affordable housing development. The project, which will cost $22 million, will rent units to households earning 60% or less of the area median income.

Why it matters

The project is the product of a land swap between the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC), the city and Mt. Pisgah, which gives Evanston a new source of income-restricted rentals in exchange for a church relocation. The development drew opposition from nearby neighbors and a lawsuit from Crosby Theodore, LLC, which Council settled for $158,000 in August 2025.

The four-story building will hold 33 affordable units with one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts for households at or below 60% of area median income, plus 2,250 square feet of ground-level commercial space. The total cost is $22 million, and Council approved a $158,000 payment to settle the neighbor lawsuit in August 2025.

The players

Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC)

A nonprofit developer that builds and manages affordable rental housing, and the entity taking the city-donated lot and swapping it for the church property on Church Street.

City of Evanston

The municipal government whose Council approved the land swap, the affordable housing plans and the $158,000 lawsuit settlement.

Mt. Pisgah Ministry

The congregation that owned the Church Street building being demolished and is relocating to a new church on an adjacent corner lot.

Crosby Theodore, LLC

The property owner that sued, arguing the development's construction would negatively affect its nearby property.

The details

The site sits on Church Street near Darrow Avenue, and the city donated a lot that formerly held a gas station to HODC, which swapped that land for the church's current property. Mt. Pisgah will build a new church on an adjacent vacant corner lot previously owned by the city. Demolition started at the back of the old building and is working toward the front, and is expected to take a little over a week. Construction of the housing is slated to take about a year.

2023: City Council first approved the affordable housing plans and land swap.
August 2025: Council approved a $158,000 payment to settle the Crosby Theodore lawsuit.
Earlier in 2026: Council reapproved the land transactions.
November 2, 2026: Demolition began on the former church building.
Next December (2027): Housing units are expected to be ready for occupancy.

The Home Front

The project turns a 2023 Council affordable housing plan into physical construction on Church Street, the first visible step after the land swap cleared approvals and litigation. It adds rental stock restricted to households at or below 60% of area median income in a city where income-capped units are scarce relative to demand.

If you rent in Evanston and earn at or below 60% of area median income, watch for the 33-unit project's application and lottery timing as units near completion next December. If you live near Church Street, expect construction noise and truck traffic over the coming year.

The takeaway

Income-capped rental projects like this one depend on land swaps and multi-year approvals, so tracking Council agendas is the best way to learn when units open. Keep a note of the 60% of area median income threshold if you think you may qualify for future units.

What happens next

Demolition is expected to take a little over a week, construction is slated to take about a year, and units are expected to be ready for occupancy next December.