By Rebecca HuvalThe Daily Northwestern
Evanston residents envisioned a utopia Thursday night – and city planners took notes.
At the Central Street Visioning Workshop, more than 100 residents worked with The Lakota Group Inc., a consulting firm hired by Evanston, to develop a plan for Central Street.
This was the second of at least five workshops scheduled by the firm. For residents who don’t normally attend Evanston City Council meetings, the workshop was a chance to participate in the civic process.
Residents have remained active in the planning process for the street. At the last Evanston City Council meeting, about 40 members of Friends of Central Street and Central Street Neighbors protested a proposed four-story retail and residential building in the 1700 block of Central Street.
After the group complained that the building was too large, holding signs that read “Save Our Village,” the council voted to send the proposal back to Evanston’s Planning and Development Committee.
While eating chocolate chip cookies Thursday, the visioning workshop audience rated slides of buildings based on how they fit the residents’ vision of Central Street. The audience was vocal about the slides. When the firm showed a modern condominium, one woman gasped.
Firm members assured residents that these buildings wouldn’t be used.
“You’re not voting like “American Idol” – you’re just getting an idea of what you want,” said John LaMotte, a principal in the firm. “Now’s a time to take a fresh look. The street has a lot of good things to offer. What can make it better?”
The majority of residents said they didn’t like most of the buildings shown.
“These are not Evanston buildings,” said Marilee Carey. “I think a lot of the buildings we saw were very cheap looking, with stucco. It was too colorful and overdesigned because there was no soul to the buildings.”
But the second half of the workshop allowed residents to say what they did want. They talked for more than an hour in round-table discussions about the street’s issues and possible improvements.
As if in group therapy, participants went around the table and said their names and then their concerns about Central Street, such as “I have problems with parking.” They used the 4-foot-wide maps of Central Street on each table to mark their houses.
Some residents were so prepared they brought props. One woman brought “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs, a book she said inspired her planning philosophy.
They talked about what gave Evanston its character. Many said they wanted to restore old buildings and add new projects in vacant spaces.
“What I value is the variety,” Pam Pond said. “That’s Evanston. You never know what you’re going to get. Not the sameness of planned developments.”
Many tables promoted affordable housing.
“We need to be able to have affordable housing up and down the Central Street,” said Sue Carlson. “We want our children to move back to Central Street.”
The nine tables had several similar ideas. When table representatives summarized their discussions, the third table resident said, “Table 1 bugged our table.”
Many residents said they wanted to keep the North Branch Library and limit the height of buildings. They said they didn’t want franchises or too much congestion. Others were divided over parking. Some residents wanted to drive to Central Street, but others wanted green space instead of parking lots.
Participants said they learned to articulate what kinds of architecture they wanted and that they discovered residents’ enthusiasm about city issues.
“I really love the civic spirit, everybody has ideas,” said Lyn Delliquadri, 62, of Evanston. “This is democracy at work.”
Reach Rebecca Huval at [email protected].
