Evanston City Council approved two new fine hikes for alcohol-related violations, despite dissent from one alderman who said the new fines were too high.
Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) suggested only doubling the current minimum fines for public consumption of alcohol and usage of a fake ID. The resolution raised minimum fines for public intoxication from $75 to $200 and fake ID possession from $35 to $200.
“It just struck me that increasing ordinance violations by six times and four times had a punitive flavor to it that I didn’t find appealing,” Moran said. “It just seemed somewhat harsh to me.”
Moran said although fake ID violations had been on a steady rise in the past three years, statistics from the first few months of this year showed that the number could be dropping — indicating that sharp fine hikes would be unneccessary.
But other aldermen strongly disagreed with Moran.
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said she saw no reason to limit the fine increases, especially when students show “absolutely an amazing disregard for the system.”
“The number of people arrested for this violation is so minimal that it seems silly to me to reduce it,” she said. “I can’t imagine reducing this fine.”
Ald. Gene Feldman (9th) said consumption of alcoholic beverages on the streets was having a direct impact on the quality of life in neighborhoods around Northwestern.
“It’s important for people to get the message that this a very serious issue in our community,” he said. “There is no reason that these people can get a fake ID and buy liquor for other kids.”
The council also voted 5-4 to seek more resident feedback on the possibility of building a marina directly across from Calvary Cemetery, 310 Chicago Ave. Mayor Lorraine H. Morton cast the deciding vote, making up for Ald. Joseph Kent’s (5th) absence. The issue was referred to the Human Services Committee, which will meet May 3.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented the findings of its preliminary marina study to the public during the council meeting. The study reported sufficient demand for a marina from boat owners but found opposition from other Evanston residents. A conceptual drawing for a 378-boat marina and a 310-car parking lot also was presented in the study.
Rainey said she voted to allow more feedback partly because the council previously announced that no action would be taken. She said it would not be fair to vote down the idea if residents weren’t allowed an opportunity to provide comment before the council ultimately decided on the issue.
“My tendency is to object to a marina, but I don’t want to have a knee-jerk reaction,” Rainey said.
Evanston resident Stuart Katz said the marina proposal would drastically affect nearby residents.
“Every time we turn around (the quality of life) keeps getting worse,” he said. “We don’t need to change the neighborhood; we need to preserve the neighborhood, and that’s what the council should be thinking about.”
Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd), whose ward includes the site of the possible marina, proposed immediately after the presentation to end any further study or public hearing about the marina .
“I do not believe there is enough interest in Evanston to merit enough time or money to study this further,” Wynne said.
The packed chamber erupted into applause, with some audience members giving Wynne a standing ovation.
“If I couldn’t support it in my ward, I couldn’t support it in the Third Ward,” said Ald. Arthur Newman (1st). “I don’t think there’s anywhere near the consensus needed for this … I think we ought to just get rid of the issue.”
Earlier in the evening the Planning and Development Committee voted to rezone the property around the Chicago Avenue and Main Street intersection to limit the height of buildings to 67 feet. The intersection currently is zoned as a business district that would allow building heights of up to 125 feet.
Neighbors said they were worried that the current zoning would further increase the density and population growth in the area.
Debbie Hillman, who lives in the neighborhood near the intersection, said southeast Evanston has one of the highest population densities in city. She said the population density of the area is 30 percent higher than the average population density of Evanston.
“We are bearing a large brunt of the density problems of Evanston,” she said.
The council also voted to allow Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Evanston to hold religious services at the former Shure, Inc. property at 2401 Brummel Place in southwest Evanston.
Only the north half of the parking lot, which will include 245 parking spaces, will be fully repaired. The Site Plan and Appearance Review Committee resolved landscaping issues last week, with plans for the church to plant 112 shrubs on the east side of the parking lot.
Traffic will be diverted into a side street, but it is unclear how traffic will be regulated during church events. The Rev. William Hanawalt, Vineyard’s executive pastor, said he hopes to use movable traffic barriers during activities, but the final determination will be made later by a traffic engineer.
Vineyard entered into a contract in late February to purchase the Brummel property, which it officially will purchase in June.