Jenny Song, Matt Presser and Laura Olson
Olympian Shani Davis stole the show from Evanston aldermen at Monday’s Evanston City Council meeting during which Mayor Lorraine Morton proclaimed April 2006 “Shani Davis Month.”
Morton awarded Davis a key to the city for the “honor and recognition” his speed skating brought Evanston.
Davis began his speed skating career at the Robert Crown Community Center, 1701 Main St., in Evanston and trained with Sanders Hicks, Evanston resident and founder of the Evanston Speed Skating Club.
“You guys are my favorite Chicago suburb,” Davis said. “Thank you for treating me like I live here. Keep supporting the Robert Crown Center, because there’s always going to be a diamond in the rough somewhere.”
Aldermen also voted unanimously to adopt the city’s Strategic Plan. The resolution is composed of 14 points to guide Evanston’s long-term development toward “creating the most livable city in America.” The City Council next will develop an “action plan” to achieve these goals.
Although two Evanston residents praised the plan, calling it “aspiring and inspiring,” resident Junad Rizki opposed the plan’s adoption, calling it “extremely weak.”
At the Evanston Planning and Development Committee meeting earlier Monday night, aldermen discussed freezing development on the area bounded by Church and Foster streets and Green Bay Road and Darrow Avenue. The freeze would last at least 120 days to work out a more specific plan before developers “sweep in” and construct buildings “piecemeal.”
Two proposed planned developments still under debate, Church Street Village and Church and Darrow, would not be affected.
Both proposals went before the committee Monday and met heavy opposition from neighbors, many of whom wore stickers saying “Listen to the Community … Will Democracy Work?”
The committee introduced the Church Street Village proposal to the council, but assured opponents they would still have a chance to present arguments against the plan.
The proposal would create 40 townhomes at 1613 Church St., scaled back from an original proposal of 47 homes. They also increased the distance the buildings will be set back from Church Street and are now asking to be zoned R4, a lower zoning density than they originally asked.
“(The new proposal) has substantially increased the palatability and feeling on Church St.,” said Jim Murray, representing the developers, Church Street Village LLC.
But opponents said although they were “very gratified” about the setback considerations, the development still contained too many units.
Joan Safford, Law ’76, a neighborhood resident, said the proposal is an example of “piece-meal development” in the neighborhood.
“We think it is important to make clear to developers that, if these exceptions are granted, it is an exceptional case,” Safford said.
Representatives from the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation also presented their proposal to build 27 affordable housing units in a four-story residential building at the corner of Church Street and Darrow Avenue.
The proposal, which was denied a recommendation from the Plan Commission, is part of a city effort to increase affordable for-rent housing in Evanston over the next few years.
The funding for the program would come from a federal organization that would require the building to rent out housing for the first 15 years. After that tenants could buy the units at discounted costs.
“This is how affordable housing is being created throughout the United States today, ” said Richard Koenig, a representative of the Housing Opportunity Development Corporation.
Residents neighboring the proposed development expressed concerns that the building would decrease property values.
The committee will continue to hear citizen concerns at a meeting on April 4 at the Civic Center, 2100 Ridge Ave.
Reach Jenny Song at [email protected], Matthew Presser at [email protected] and Laura Olson at [email protected].
