A day after the Evanston Zoning Board’s decision to keep Northwestern’s Great Room open, appellant George Gaines said he was unsure if he would take his appeal to the next level at the Cook County Circuit Court.

“I’m disappointed with the decision,” he said. “I haven’t really decided what I’m going to do next.”

The First Ward resident, along with his wife Andrea Gaines, came to the city in November claiming the eating facility and its late hours of operation violated city zoning laws. He said if they decide to appeal to the circuit court, they’ll need to file their petition within 30 days of the original decision.

Zoning Planner Dominick Argumedo also said appealing would be “standard procedure,” but the appellants haven’t served the city for any further evidence yet.

Neither George nor Andrea Gaines attended the meeting Tuesday night when the board announced its verdict. George Gaines said they were prepared for the outcome.

“I didn’t get the sense during the hearing, based upon the tones and nature of the questions we were getting from the ZBA members, that there was much sympathy for our position,” he said. “I wasn’t surprised by it, even though I think our arguments were correct.”

Repeated attempts to reach Art Newman, the Gaines’ attorney, were unsuccessful.

– Brittney Wong