Evanston City Council voted 6-3 Monday night to override Mayor Lorraine Morton’s veto of the Northeast Evanston Historic District.
Morton, who was out of town and could not attend the meeting, submitted a four-page letter to the aldermen explaining several reasons for the veto. Among them were a desire to re-establish community harmony, a concern about possible lawsuits and a feeling that the establishment of the district will “stymie or eliminate” negotiations between the city and Northwestern University.
“Though I do endorse the principles of preservation of community resources, I do not feel it is in the best interest of our Evanston community to support a continuation of this animosity by signing an ordinance agreeable to some residents and much opposed by others,” Morton said in her letter. “This mayor will not support favoritism for some and legalize denial to others.”
City Council voted 6-3 on May 22 to approve the Northeast Evanston Historic District after amending its northern boundary twice. The first amendment moved the boundary south from the Evanston/Wilmette border to Lincoln Street while the final one moved it a half block south to an alley between Lincoln and Colfax streets.
The other boundaries remained the same: Emerson Street to the south, Sheridan Road to the east and Sherman or Ridge avenues to the west. About 50 Northwestern buildings are included in the district.
The boundary change cut out about half of the homeowners in the district – most of whom opposed it – and resulted in a district 30 percent smaller than the one originally proposed.
Ald. Stephen Engelman (7th), who voted against the district three weeks ago, said he supported the mayor’s veto because of the residents’ vocal opposition to the district. Of the 160 homeowners in the district, 40 have signed petitions in favor of the district while 53 have signed petitions in opposition to it.
“No district will be effective if it does not have the support of those people whose conduct it is supposed to regulate,” Engelman said. “40 out of 160 is hardly an overwhelming vote of support.”
But Ald. Arthur Newman (1st) said he thinks the number of residents of his ward who oppose the district are “greatly outnumbered” by those who support it. He said his main motivation in voting for the district and against the mayor’s veto was preserving the NU-owned historic houses that line Sheridan Road.
“I had to balance the interests of the people who were opposed to the district with the interests of the people who were in favor of it,” he said. “But those houses along Sheridan Road can and will go down unless City Council has a voice in this matter.”
