Construction on the long-delayed Sherman Plaza project could begin as soon as this summer, city officials said Wednesday.
The final date of the construction will depend on when the Sherman Avenue parking garage — now slated to remain open for several months — would be demolished, the developer said at Wednesday’s Evanston Economic Development Committee meeting.
The committee also discussed whether they would grant tax increment financing, or TIF, district funds to a proposed rental condominium complex slated for construction in a downtrodden section of Howard Street. TIF benefits give developers financial incentives to build in designated areas.
Sherman Plaza developer James Klutznick of Thomas J. Klutznick Co. said while condominium sales for his project had initially taken a hit because of continual delays, the company has recently “more than made up for it.”
“In every respect, we are hoping to get started this summer, but it depends on when the garage goes down,” Klutznick said.
The garage was initially scheduled for demolition March 1, but city officials decided to keep it open because Klutznick did not have full financial backing for the development. Although Assistant City Manager Judith Aiello said the garage was “not good-looking or user-friendly,” the garage will remain open for at least an additional three or four months. She said a structural engineering firm hired by the city determined that the building was structurally sound and could continue operating.
“There seems to be a consensus that (keeping the garage open) is better than having no parking,” Aiello said. “Until we have a firm date for the plaza, we won’t have the garage closed.”
While the eventual closing of the Sherman Garage may cause traffic problems for downtown commuters, Aiello said drivers might be able to use the underground parking garage at the Optima Horizons condominium complex, 1800 Sherman Ave., once it is completed. But she provided no time frame for when the Optima garage will become available for use.
While the committee was optimistic about the start of Sherman Plaza construction, Ald. Arthur Newman (1st) said the developer and the city needed to move faster on the project.
“There needs to be a sense of urgency because it has been so long,” Newman said. “People in the community are not so confident as we are that things are happening, so we need to move on this.”
During the discussion of the possible TIF benefits for the Howard development, Newman said he did not know if the property would receive tax breaks when Evanston City Council had approved the project initially.
“When we voted on this, I had no idea there was going to be a request for money,” Newman said. “I was looking at the taxes that it was going to generate. I don’t want to vote on something and think we’re getting taxes when we’re not going to have those for the city.”
But Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said she assumed the project would take advantage of the TIF benefits, since the property’s location falls within the TIF district’s boundaries. She also hailed the project as one that could rejuvenate the Howard Street area, noting that three properties on Howard had been sold in the past month for significant sums.
“Millions of dollars of sales are happening on Howard Street,” Rainey said. “This has never happened before. This project is the impetus for all these things happening.”
Rainey also noted that the lot for the proposed condo building had been vacant for decades. She said she saw a photograph from the 1890s which showed the lot looking “exactly the same” as it does today.
Though committee members deliberated the TIF benefits for the Howard project for almost an hour, the committee did not come to any final decision. The next Economic Development Committee meeting is scheduled for April 28 at the Evanston Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
