Evanston aldermen are scheduled to weigh Monday night whether to move forward with a controversial proposal to sell the city-owned Harley Clarke Mansion.
The discussion would be City Council’s first public airing of the heated issue this year. Tawani Enterprises Inc., an investment firm led by Evanston billionaire James N. Pritzker, emerged as the only bidder for the lakefront property, 2603 Sheridan Road, after the city started looking for potential buyers in November of last year. Tawani’s $1.2 million plan would turn the historic building into a 57-room boutique hotel with underground parking and preserve at least some access to the adjacent Lighthouse Beach.
Tawani has asked the city to “provide a formal counter proposal” or explain how it would like to proceed with the potential sale, according to city documents.
Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl has said the city can no longer afford the deferred maintenance costs of the 2.5-acre property, which currently houses the Evanston Art Center. A growing campaign against the possible sale argues it would undermine Evanston’s history of protecting its public parkland.
“The lakefront to Evanstonians is a vital, precious asset, and they do want some private interest to come in and take away their lakefront property,” said Barbara Janes, co-founder of NoParkSale.org.
(Evanston Art Center addresses Harley Clarke Mansion controversy)
She added her group has distributed 1,000 yard signs and reached out to more than 3,000 people, many of them against the Tawani plan. NoParkSale.org’s Facebook page had more than 1,100 likes as of 1 a.m. Monday, and a related petition had more than 2,000 signatures.
Janes said she has spoken with some aldermen and believes a vote on whether to accept the Pritzker-backed project would be close.
Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) opposes the Tawani bid, saying Tuesday on WTTW’s “Chicago Tonight” that it “opens the doors for other commercial uses for Evanston’s lakefront.” Ald. Jane Grover (7th), whose ward includes the property, said Friday she is waiting for more information to develop her position on the issue.
Beyond getting the best bang for its buck, the city should not advance any bid that will “impede public access to the beach,” Grover said. In a letter from Tisdahl read to the council last month, she wrote the city is talking with Tawani about “maintaining complete public access to the ground and beach.”
(Tisdahl responds to petition against sale of Harley Clarke Mansion)
Grover said it is “hard for anybody” to focus on the facts of the issue with heated opposition weeks in advance of any formal discussion.
“What we lose is all the great ideas in that middle ground,” she said, adding she would be open to adopting some parts of the Pritzker-linked plan if not the entire package.
Fiske said she believes the city can raise enough money to bring the mansion up to code. Janes agreed, saying Evanston has “a lot of creative talent” that can come up with viable alternatives to selling the property.
Summer editor Patrick Svitek can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/PatrickSvitek.
