For Evanston residents planning on sipping a Mickey Finn’s this fall, Libertyville still will be the only venue to enjoy the “best microbrewery in Chicagoland.”

The Evanston Economic Development Committee confirmed last week that Mickey Finn’s Brewery has ended negotiations with contractors Arthur Hill&Co. to sign a lease for a space at the Church Street Plaza.

Of the several brew-pubs expressing interest in the space, Mickey Finn’s was one of two top runners, said Ben Ranney, marketing manager at Arthur Hill&Co.

“We were only in the preliminary phases of our negotiations with Mickey Finn’s,” Ranney said. “In our discussions with them it became clear that they were unable to come to an internal agreement on structural aspects.”

Managers at Mickey Finn’s could not be reached for comment.

This recent setback in negotiations has raised criticism from some Evanston residents about the project.

“There is something about the Hill group’s strategy of filling spaces that is not working,” said Troy Thiel, director of the Evanston Small Business Association. “We knew from the beginning of the project that it would be difficult to fill a lot of the retail because building costs and rising lease rates make it hard to find tenants.”

Yet, in a letter Mickey Finn’s sent to city officials, the microbrewery made it clear that Arthur Hill&Co. was not to blame for its decision to end negotiations, said Ald. Edmund Moran (6th).

Ranney said Monday that while there is no telling how long it would take to sign a lease with a microbrewery, 75 percent of the Church Street Plaza area already has been leased, with the remaining areas under negotiation.