By Ketul PatelThe Daily Northwestern
The Evanston City Council will vote on a controversial development on Central Street at tonight’s meeting.
The project involves a 4-story retail and residential building with 51 living units and 100 parking spaces. Its site includes two landmarks, a historic house at 1722 Central St. and a movie theater at 1702 Central St., that would have to be torn down.
Developer Evanston Central I originally intended to use the house in its project but proposed to demolish it to make its building shorter.
About 40 residents spoke out against the proposal at the council’s Jan. 22 meeting, saying they need wider alleys and that the development would ruin the quaint nature of the street.
Ald. Cheryl Wollin (1st) said she hopes the plan passes tonight.
“I think the way the plan has been revised is acceptable,” she said.
Tonight’s agenda also includes a resolution approving the operating budget for fiscal year 2007-08. The total proposed budget is $188,145,727, which is almost a three-quarters of a percent increase over the $186,769,007 budget proposed by City Manager Julia Carroll in January.
As a part of the budget process, the council also will vote on a yard waste sticker program that will require residents to have a sticker displayed on a 30-gallon paper bag of yard waste and each bundle of brush before city crews would remove it. The sticker would cost $1.50.
In addition, aldermen will vote on an explanatory referendum regarding the Civic Center. Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th) said this statement will outline the city’s decision to move city offices to another site.
A group called Friends of the Civic Center has successfully petitioned to get a referendum on the April ballot to preserve the Civic Center’s current function. The building at 2100 Ridge Ave. was originally used by a school for Catholic girls and is in poor condition.
“The referendum they proposed has no (basis in) money,” Bernstein said.
The council also will vote on whether to let the city manager form a contract with Japanese artist Takashi Soga to construct a sculpture for Sherman Plaza.
Wollin, who was on the committee that chose Soga’s design, said she hopes the sculpture will be approved. The sculpture consists of a large base and a horizontal ring. The ring is designed to move up and down in the wind.
“It’s a dynamic and unusual sculpture,” she said. “It will have a calming effect on a busy street.”
Reach Ketul Patel at [email protected].
