Evanston City Council members unanimously voted down a proposal for a new liquor store about two blocks away from Evanston 1st Liquors, 1019 Davis St.
Residents showed up en masse at the Planning and Development Committee meeting Monday night to protest the project, pitched as a specialty liquor store at 812 Davis St.
“I don’t know why we would consider a store to sell alcohol less than a quarter of a mile away from a methadone clinic,” said Fred Tanenbaum, a pharmacist who lives near the proposed site. Tannenbaum was referring to Peer Services Inc., a drug treatment center at 906 Davis St.
Hostile members also questioned if developers had properly applied for the building permit and how much business the store would receive, given its proximity to Evanston 1st Liquors.
John Pikarski, the attorney for the applicant, argued his client had met all requirements for the permit. Despite an ordinance that defines the shop as a convenience store, the shop would sell “high-end products,” Pikarski said.
“We are not a 7-Eleven. We are not interested in any of that approach,” he said.
The committee also revisited the Draft Downtown Plan, last discussed at a special meeting on Jan. 14, where height restrictions and other zoning questions were approved. On Monday night, the rest of the Downtown Plan was reviewed and approved. The committee discussed adding a line to the plan proposing the downtown as a possible location for a new civic center, should one be built.
“I’ve always believed that a downtown should include a civic center,” Ald. Steven Bernstein (4th) said.
The proposed amendment did not guarantee that a new civic center will be built there or anywhere.
“The only thing we know is that the new civic center, if we have one, will be in Evanston,” Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) said.
The committee did not add the line to the Draft Plan. They asked the plan’s consultants to bring an edited copy to the next meeting of the committee for recommendation to the council on Feb. 9.
Also at the council meeting, aldermen voted to move ahead with engineering services for bicycle and pedestrian pathways along the lakefront.
The item was approved with an 8-1 vote, with Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) casting the lone dissenting vote.
The pathways, which are to be located between the Lee and Clark Street beaches, are part of a larger plan to refurbish the lakefront area. Moran said he couldn’t support the pathways until the council reaches a resolution on the lakefront plan.
“What people need to understand is the engineering for these paths is going to be impacted by the rest of the (lakefront) design,” he said. “This is an integrated piece of a much larger, more complicated plan.”
Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) urged the council to approve the item.
“This has been on our list of must-dos since I’ve been on council,” she said. “There are no surprises in this plan.”
Playground and Recreation Board member Amina DiMarco also asked the aldermen for approval, reminding them of the $350,000 earmarked for the project.
“We realize that this is the beginning of a very large and important project for the city.”
