A plan to expand the Piven Theatre Workshop within the Noyes Cultural Arts Center has sparked controversy among some tenants at the center.
Maggie Weiss, the chair of the Noyes Tenants Association, told tenants that city manager Wally Bobkiewicz and the theater planned to finalize the proposal and present it to the city before the end of March.
“We are all hoping that this will be resolved by the end of March,” Piven executive director Leslie Brown said.
The theater’s proposal, dubbed “Plan B” by its creators, would almost triple the theater’s space within the cultural center at 927 Noyes St. Piven presented its initial plan to the city about two years ago. Although the theater is currently working with Bobkiewicz to finalize the plan, the basic outline has already been decided. The proposal would involve the theater taking out a $2.2 million loan from the city while the theater’s rent to the city would be made negligible. In return, the theater would put $3.5 million dollars into the building for repairs and renovations.
“This building needs a lot of help,” Brown said, citing problems including leaks and blackouts.
But some tenants at the center expressed concern over the theater’s proposed expansion, which could force them to relocate.
“We’re not exactly sure how the city plans to allocate space,” said Weiss, who gives voice lessons and said she likes her location within the building.
A couple tenants voiced their concerns during citizen comment at the council meeting Feb. 11, arguing the plan would keep other tenants from renting out the space and would result in a sort of monopoly for Piven.
Additionally, Weiss said she is concerned about the financial impact on the city if the theater stops paying rent.
“It’s a huge loss in revenue for the city,” she said.
Brown, however, said she thought the changes to the building would ultimately help the city. Decreasing funding from the city has prevented necessary repairs and updates from being made to the building, she said. Piven’s investment in the building would not only allow the theater to expand its business but would also draw more of Evanston to the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
“It can only help the businesses along Noyes,” she said. “This may be the one place that could make a significant impact for the arts in the community.”
