Evanston’s Planning and Development Committee slapped newrestrictions March 22 on the Vineyard Christian Fellowship ofEvanston’s attempt to move to the former Shure, Inc. industrialsite in southwest Evanston.
Before the church can move, it must fulfill landscapingrequirements, complete parking lot repairs and establish trafficregulations for parishioners.
Vineyard purchased the property at 2401 Brummel Place in lateFebruary and will sell its current building at 1800 Ridge Ave.Shure, Inc., which manufactures microphones and audioelectronics,moved from Evanston to Niles in 2002, leaving the site on Brummelvacant.
Mark Sargis, the lawyer for Vineyard, said the church wassurprised by the aldermen’s concerns for the new property, notingthat landscaping and parking lot issues had not been discussed atprevious meetings regarding the move.
“That was the first time that anyone had brought up thoseissues,” Sargis said. “I can’t say if those two conditions would bereasonable because we don’t know what it would cost. We areevaluating that right now.”
Last summer, the church settled a six-year lawsuit with thecity, which recognized the church’s First Amendment right to holdreligious services at the site on Ridge.
Before the settlement, city zoning laws prevented the churchfrom conducting services at the Ridge property.
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), whose ward includes the proposed churchsite, said residents had voiced complaints that increased trafficfrom the church would disrupt the neighborhood.
The committee agreed that Vineyard should block parishionersfrom travelling eastbound on Brummel Place and should instead exitthe property’s parking lot on main thoroughfares.
“I don’t trust parishioners to exit on (main roads),” Raineysaid, indicating that the church must actively provide trafficcontrol. “There is no way those folks are going to wait in longlines to exit on the major street.”
Rainey also pushed for the church to resurface its parking lotand to either repair or replace the shrubbery that was located onthe east end of the lot. She said the lot’s current condition is an”eyesore.”
“The lot has not been used for years, and there is not an inchof it that is not cracked or has weeds,” she said. “It’s horrendousand needs to be resurfaced.”
But some aldermen questioned what type of enforcement powers thecity of Evanston would have over the parking lot, which is locatedin Skokie. The Evanston City Council will revisit the issue at itsApril 13 meeting.
Sargis said that the church is continuing to evaluate whetherthe property is cost-effective for the congregation, and that thecommittee’s concerns will play a role in their decision. But henoted that the site’s former owners, Shure, Inc., did not need todeal with any restrictions.
“Shure Brothers has been there for quite a long time without anyconditions and there was no problem with their operations,” hesaid.
