A proposed 18-story building could bring 175 condominiums and commercial space to an empty lot west of downtown.
“(We want) to build the most beautiful building ever built in the city of Evanston,” said Bob King, the president of Chicago-based Carroll Properties, on Wednesday.
But city officials said further discussion will be needed to determine how the building would affect the neighborhood before the project is approved.
The L-shaped building, called Carroll Place, underwent review at the Wednesday meeting of Evanston’s Site Plan and Appearance Review Committee. The site, 1881 Oak Ave., located in the Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park, has been empty since construction of a 4-story laboratory building for the park was cancelled in 2002.
King’s proposal is the first plan for the site to go before a city committee.
The 390,000-square-foot building also would have 175 parking spaces underground and on the second, third and fourth floors. Fourteen floors would contain 1- to 3-bedroom condos, including some two-story duplexes. Every unit in the building would have a balcony, and the 18th floor would contain luxury penthouses.
The first floor would contain up to 10,000 square feet of commercial space. A small plaza would grace the entrance of the glass-covered building at the corner of Oak and Emerson.
King said he wants to hire Evanston contractors for the project, which he says would generate $1.3 million in taxes for the city. The city now gets $35,000 in taxes from the site.
He also said he wants to offer affordable units in the building or contribute to a city affordable housing fund.
The previous project on the site was cancelled because of the unfavorable market for office space, said Steve Kardel, president of Glenlake Capital Partners, the firm that was constructing the building. Its foundation was poured before the cancellation.
King said because much of the space in Evanston’s office buildings stands vacant, adding office space — instead of condos — to the Research Park would be a bad idea.
Members of the review committee asked King to build a three-dimensional model for future meetings to see how the proposed building fits in with the neighborhood. The site is surrounded on three sides by the low-rise Research Park and is across the street from houses and the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1109 Emerson St.
“I could appreciate that the community at large is benefitting from residential (buildings) in the downtown area,” said Carolyn Brzezinski, the review committee’s chairwoman. “My concern is that it’s very, very massive.”
James Wolinski, director of Evanston’s community development department, asked King to determine how the building’s shadow would impact the neighborhood.
Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd), in whose ward the site is located, said the project requires further dialogue.
“There will be a lot of discussion with the surrounding community,” he said.
Ron Kysiak, the chief executive officer of Research Park, said he was disappointed with the proposal. The site was set aside for a technology building, but he said he understood the office market is weak — and that it’s easier to get financing for residential buildings.
“Above the sixth floor you can see the lake, and that’s where the money is,” he said.
Reach Greg Hafkin at [email protected].
