The Assault on Democracy in the Stadium Project Process

“You may ask yourself, ‘well, how did I get here?’ ”
     — Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime

Evanston Roundtable reporter Duncan Agnew recently took a good shot at recapping how the proposal for rezoning the athletic “U2” district encompassing Northwestern University’s football stadium, basketball arena, and baseball field advanced to a potential vote at Evanston City Council. As good as Mr. Agnew’s history is, there is more to the story. We got "here" via an ongoing antidemocratic trend in Evanston that has picked up steam and become more obvious and alarming over time.

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Local Lawyers Say Six Votes Needed for Rezoning

Nearly three dozen Evanston lawyers, at last count, have signed on to an open letter to Mayor Biss and the other members of the Council on an issue that that affects the legitimacy of the Ryan Field project and rezoning up for consideration at a special meeting tonight. Much public discussion has assumed that Mayor Biss can be a tiebreaking 5th vote if the other sitting Councilmembers tie 4-4. These local legal minds think otherwise, and that Evanston law requires six votes.

Stadium District Proposal Conflicts with Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Standards

Monday, Nov. 13, the City Council is set to act on Northwestern University's petition for a planned development ("PD") and zoning amendment to the U2 district. That area, just north of Central Street, contains the football stadium, basketball arena, baseball field, and other facilities. NU's petition for PD was to demolish the former Dyche Stadium and erect a new, much larger facility with 35,000 "stadium" seats and skyboxes. The rezoning petition was originally to allow far greater commercial-like entertainment use of the sports facilities: initially, a request for up to 10 stadium-capacity concerts and unlimited up-to-10,000-person events annually (click the link to see the redline version of the U2 text). After multiple revisions in May and August, the request (click link to review) was modified to 6 full-capacity (35,000-seats) outdoor stadium concerts, up to 60 outdoor concerts or events of up to 7,500 attendees, and unlimited indoor concerts and events of up to 10,000 persons, including in as-yet-unbuilt banquet halls and auditoriums.

Joint 6th-7th Budget Presentation Tonight

Councilmembers Tom Suffredin and Eleanor Revelle invite the public to a joint 6th/7th Ward meeting to be held at the Chandler-Newberger Community Center, 1028 Central St., tonight, Wed., Nov. 1. The stated agenda is that City staff will discuss the 2024 Proposed Budget. The meeting is scheduled for 1 hour, per the City website.

 

Tax Exempt Property and Evanston Wed. Oct 25th 7:00

TAX EXEMPT PROPERTY AND EVANSTON

Evanston has a high percent of properties that are off the tax roles (i.e. tax exempt), well over 1/3. This adds considerably to our high property tax bills.

Wednesday, October 25 at 7pm in the Parasol Room at the Civic Center.

Please join us at this event sponsored by Council Members Suffredin, Revelle and Kelly to discuss tax exempt properties with Christina Lynch, Director of Legal at Cook County Assessor's Office

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