Evanston City Council denied the designation of Kendall College’s former administration building a historic landmark on Monday, ending a four-month struggle between preservationists and developers.
The designation would have prevented the property’s owner, Smithfield Properties, from demolishing the building to build town houses and condominiums. Smithfield has not released its plans for the building. Kendall College vacated its campus, 2408 Orrington Ave., in 2004 for a location on the North Side of Chicago.
“We all love that administration building,” Evanston resident Claire Delgado said during citizen comment at the meeting at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
The council also approved the construction of a 49-unit condominium building at 1228 Emerson St. and a 92-unit addition to Three Crowns Park, a retirement home at 2320 Pioneer Road.
City Council rejected the Kendall proposal 6-0 without discussion. Alds. Melissa Wynne (3rd), Joseph Kent (5th) and Gene Feldman (9th) were absent.
Judy Fiske, a historic preservationist who last week lost the First Ward aldermanic race to Cheryl Wollin, said she was not surprised by the decision because the Evanston Planning and Development Committee rejected the proposal in its meeting Monday.
“The writing certainly was on the wall,” she said.
Fiske said she and other supporters of Kendall’s historic status will attend today’s Plan Commission meeting to make their case. The commission has the final say on whether to allow Smithfield to tear down the building. The Kendall property is in a historic district, where zoning laws restrict future development.
Ald. Stephen Bernstein (4th) praised the Three Crowns development because its developer pays the city $60,000 a year for “an extended number of years.”
Resident Robert Mark said he supported the Three Crowns decision but called the payments a “travesty.” He said he thought having the developer donate a fire truck or an addition to an Evanston library would have benefited the city more.
The developer of the Emerson Street property, Ferris Homes, will contribute $25,000 to a low-income-housing fund but will not construct affordable housing units on the property. Ald. Arthur Newman (1st) called the donation “minimal.” Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd), whose ward houses the property, said the developer will give back in other ways.
Before the council met Monday, the Administration and Public Works Committee delayed an ordinance that would require Evanston residents to pay half the cost of inoculating trees near their property against Dutch Elm disease.
Inoculation charges will be included on residents’ water bills if the law passes.
Ald. Ann Rainey (8th) said she regrets originally voting for the plan because residents were not told about it and a resident who chooses not to inoculate a private elm would put nearby public elms at risk. She said she also opposes the method of payment.
“I don’t want to foreclose on people if they don’t want to pay for their tree injections,” Rainey said.
The council also voted to allow the construction of a convenience store at 555 Howard St.
Evanston Township held its annual meeting Tuesday during the council meeting. Evanston Township Supervisor Patricia Vance and Township Assessor Sharon Eckersall reported on Evanston’s budget and activities. Eckersall said that gentrification in the Second Ward may drive up property taxes there over the next few years.
Reach Tina Peng at [email protected].
