The developer of a proposed six-story residential building in south Evanston is considering selling the property after aldermen continued to reject the plan last week amid complaints from local residents.
After two years in development, one city commissioner said the city’s refusal to compromise could give future developers a bad vibe about bringing their money into Evanston.
The project had called for more than two dozen residential units as well as some retail space at the property, which currently is an empty site located at 801 Chicago Ave. Residents living near the property have complained that the project was too big for the site and would be an eyesore for tenants with windows on the south side of a condo building at 811 Chicago Ave.
“They were concerned that their windows were facing a huge wall,” said Ald. Elizabeth Tisdahl (7th). “I believe that when you buy a condo, or any property, you don’t control what’s built next to you but you do have the right to have faith that the zoning would be followed.”
But David A. Haymes, vice president of Pappageorge/Haymes Ltd., the architectural firm that designed the project, said numerous compromises have been made in the past two years, including lowering the building height and making aesthetic enhancements.
“If the project were judged on (aesthetics), we more than met whatever standards could be applied,” Haymes said. “People told us so … In reality, it was judged on the perspective of the people in the neighboring properties.”
The architects were seeking a minor zoning change that would waive a requirement that cars cannot be parked closer than 20 feet from the lot line. Haymes said the city used that issue to kill the project.
Another option for the developer, Haymes said, is to build “by right.” The designers would have to settle for a smaller building but would not have to seek city approval.
The project’s defeat could make future developers wary about doing business in Evanston, said Larry Widmayer, chairman of the city’s Plan Commission, which recommends new developments to aldermen for final approval. The commission had approved the project.
Widmayer, who also works in real estate development, said he thought the property’s value had dropped.
“It was 99 percent within the zoning, and (Evanston City Council) still found a way to reject it,” he said. “I think it will make future developers cautious.”
Tisdahl said her only concern was that because the physical layout of the site makes it tough to build, it could be difficult to get the area developed.
Haymes said he was disappointed that the project was not approved.
He said the developer had “sincere and concrete” intentions to put together a high-quality project, and residents living near a vacant lot needed to understand that development was going to happen.
“The reality is that the property was zoned to permit a building 67 feet tall, and the neighbors aren’t entitled to see through someone else’s property,” he said. “The property owner is entitled to take the greatest benefit of his property.”
Reach Mike Cherney at [email protected].
