Aldermen approved Tuesday a permit for a new environmentally-conscious day care center to renovate an existing building on Central Street.

The City Council voted unanimously to welcome Chicago-based preschool Little Green Tree House to claim space in the city despite earlier concerns for a lack of parking.

The day care center, which will soon have three Chicago locations, focuses on sustainability through practices such as using cloth diapers, serving organic meals and using wooden toys.

Ald. Jane Grover (7th) said at the last council meeting that the north Evanston space would be a fitting location considering a dearth of other day care services in the area.

The aldermen granted the permit with the expectation that the day care center, which will be able to serve up to 130 children, purchase several extra parking spaces for employees nearby the building.

“The staff really did work to make sure that the parking issue was resolved,” Ald. Delores Holmes (5th) told The Daily. “That seemed to be the only issue — it seemed to be outstanding.”

After initially being denied a permit in June, the center proposed adding 11 employee parking spaces in a nearby lot to the nine included on the property. The center will also pay for five parking spaces on the street near the building that parents will use for dropping off and picking up their children.

Ald. Brian Miller (9th) said at the Aug. 31 council meeting that the building’s close proximity to public transportation — with Metra and Chicago Transit Authority stations less than two miles away — also supported the center’s case for the special use permit.

Email: juliajacobs2018@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @juliarebeccaj