City Council will host a special meeting on Oct. 30 to discuss Northwestern’s Rebuild Ryan Field project, including the zoning amendment that would allow Northwestern to host concerts at the new stadium.
According to a news release, the two ordinances concerning the University’s Ryan Field proposal will appear as special orders of business for introduction. They will also be the sole topic of discussion at the meeting, after the Land Use Commission heard 13 hours of testimony over three separate meetings on NU’s controversial project.
Mayor Daniel Biss’ decision to name the ordinances special orders of business marks a departure from the City’s typical process of taking the items to the Planning and Development Committee before the council votes.
“To ensure that all community members have the opportunity to weigh in on this issue, which has attracted so much interest, Mayor Biss will ask the Council to suspend its rules to allow all public comment participants at least one and a half minutes to speak,” the release said.
On Oct. 11, the city’s nine-member Land Use Commission opted unanimously to recommend the proposal for the stadium rebuild to City Council, but voted 7-2 not to recommend the rezoning ordinance. Despite the ordinances passing over the Planning and Development Committee, the city is not skipping any decisive steps — City Council is the final determining body and can vote on the ordinances regardless of the Land Use Commission’s decision.
If any of the items are approved for introduction at the Oct. 30 meeting, they would need to receive a final vote for action at a regular City Council meeting, likely on Nov. 13.
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Related Stories:
—Land Use Commission rejects NU’s plan to host concerts at Ryan Field, approves stadium rebuild
—Faculty Senate hears from University President Michael Schill, considers Ryan Field rebuild
