Affordable housing, Cereality and a condo project for 1801 Oak Ave. were discussed at the June 26 meeting of the City of Evanston’s Planning and Development Committee, and some were voted on at the subsequent City Council meeting.
The committee and then the council voted to approve the Center for Independent Futures request for $98,000 to be used as grants for seven low-income, physically or developmentally disabled people as down payment assistance toward the purchase of a condominium unit at the newly constructed Sienna Development, 1100 Clark St.
CIF originally requested that after a five-year period, the condo unit be sold to a non-disabled person with no repercussions. But aldermen voted that the money would have to be paid back if the unit was sold during a 15-year period to a non-disabled person.
Cheers and applause erupted in the Council Chamber from the strong turnout of supporters for CIF after the committee initially approved the funds.
The committee and council also gave initial approval for a new restaurant, Cereality, at 1622 Sherman Ave., next to Barnes and Noble in the newly constructed Sherman Plaza.
This cereal bar and cafe, which serves mainly cereal, oatmeal and smoothies, has three other locations throughout the country, including one in The Loop in Chicago.
The committee and aldermen voted that the location would not be permitted to grill or fry anything to prevent a fast food restaurant from occupying the space if Cereality were to close. If grilling or frying were needed at the location, the owners would have to come before the city again for approval.
A proposed 18-story condominium development at 1881 Oak Ave. brought supporters, and a few critics, to the committee meeting, which ended up running long, causing the last item on the agenda, discussions about planned development on the Kendall College property at 2408 Orrington Ave., to be bumped to a special meeting date to be determined by the end of the week.
Aldermen voted to defer the plans back to the committee level for further discussions.
The condo project, called Carroll Place, would include what developers described as an “accessible public plaza,” visible retail space, and some sort of water element, which illustrations portrayed as a waterfall.
The developers also said the proposed building’s Z-shape design would disguise the building’s bulk because there would be no point at which an observer could see more than one aspect of the building at a time.
Presenters were met with both support and opposition from the community.
One supporter was the Reverend Oscar Crear from the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, 1109 Emerson St., located across the street from the proposed project.
“(The church) has looked at an ugly, empty lot for 20 years,” he said. We would rather see more than 160 residents then empty space, he said.
Jane Wicklund, a resident of the 1700 block of Maple Avenue, did not express the same sentiments.
She said she was “overwhelmed by the slanted presentation” of the developers. The building “is not in harmony with the surrounding area” and that residents of the area were not all aware of the proposed developments, Wicklund said.
The area has moderately affordable homes and by developing the area, that affordability could be lost, she said.
If we are protecting the historic area, then we must protect affordable housing too, she said.
Reach Anna Prior at [email protected].
