Aldermen will discuss proposed changes to Evanston’s street cleaning and snow removal programs, which include eliminating the snow emergency siren and changing signs posted for street cleaning, at their Monday meeting.
Evanston’s Department of Public Works proposed that city officials investigate alternative means of snow emergency notification after the Illinois Emergency Management Agency requested a halt on all non-emergency siren use.
The request also detailed a new street sign program that would reduce temporary posting of street cleaning regulations in favor of permanently posting fixed street cleaning dates. Five- to 7-foot permanent signs would replace the short, wooden signs the city currently posts on sidewalks 48 hours before street cleaning.
“The current signs are confusing,” Ald. Ed Moran (6th) said. “We’ve been crabbing about them not getting better signs for a long time.”
The Evanston City Council also will review an amendment to support the development of about 200 high-end condominiums in the Sherman Plaza development project. The condominium project would replace the senior housing developer Thomas J. Klutznick Co. originally proposed.
“The revisions to the project will have a positive effect on the financial projections for the city,” city consultant Martin Stern said. “Real estate taxes on the condominiums will be substantially greater than those of the senior housing project.”
Aldermen also will consider an ordinance allowing the Second Baptist Church, 1717 Benson Ave., to build a six-story rear addition to the church, despite current zoning regulations.
The addition would increase the current 15,000-square-foot building to 29,050 square feet and increase its seating capacity from 450 to 575, according to the church’s proposal.
“I’ve got some serious reservations,” Moran said. “I think when you’re proposing three or four major zoning variances, you’ve really got to make a case for it. The bottom line is they have to present good reasons.”
Current zoning ordinances require one parking space for every 10 seats in the main sanctuary of a religious institution.
The ordinance, which was approved by the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, proposes to eliminate the additional 17 required parking spaces. The church presented a letter to the council on Sept. 24 committing to lease 20 spaces from a public garage for at least two years. The ordinance also proposes increasing the maximum permitted building height from 42 to 65 feet.
At Monday’s meeting, aldermen also will discuss a six-month trial program allowing private companies to boot cars on private property in downtown Evanston.
The program, proposed after a similar pilot program was enacted in Chicago, would allow Evanston officials to study booting downtown and take more permanent action later.
According to Evanston staff attorney Karen Gilkeson, data from Chicago’s pilot program showed that private booting did not “lead to hostile, face-to-face encounters.” The data also showed that the industry was easy to regulate.
Based on that evidence, Evanston’s law department recommended regulating, rather than prohibiting, private booting companies within the city.
Aldermen also will consider granting $70,500 to a local architectural firm to conduct a study on the community’s need for the 26-year-old Robert Crown Center.
The evaluation is the first of a two-phase project. The second phase will constitute an evaluation of structural concerns in the facility to determine a need to renovate or replace the building.
The meeting will be held Monday at 8:30 p.m. in the council chambers at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
