Council Rejects 35-Story Tower Proposed Downtown

Before a packed hall of people who came to protest a 35-story tower proposed downtown, city council members voted down an extension on the project by a 5-4 vote Monday night. 

Evanston aldermen originally granted Focus Development a 5-year window to construct the building when a planned development was approved in 2009. Focus came back Monday with a request for an additional three-year extension—but several aldermen said they believed that allowing another period of uncertainty at 708 Church St. was the wrong choice for the city.

“It’s going to be harmful to the future developers that might be interested in coming to the table within that time period, detrimental to professionals who work in the building, detrimental to retail around the building, detrimental to downtown,” said Ald. Judy Fiske, who represents the first ward where the building would be located. 

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The plans approved in 2009 called for a mixed-use development with 218 dwelling units, 271 parking spaces in the building and 18,258 square feet of retail and office space. Focus Development obtained several site development allowances to permit the building to exceed maximum regulations downtown, including an approved height of 385 feet. While Focus does not own the property, president Tim Anderson said the company had a verbal agreement to purchase 708 Church from the LLC that owns it—if the extension were approved. 

When it was first proposed, the tower drew strong resistance from many residents, and several new aldermen campaigned on the platform that they did not support it, according to Fiske. Numerous people spoke up again to oppose the project during several hours of public comment, arguing that the building was a bad deal for Evanston.

“The developer requested enormous zoning variances far in excess of any that have been required by other downtown Evanston projects,” said Katie Stallcup, reading a statement from the Southeast Evanston Association. “The proposed size does not reflect the character and needs of the city of Evanston. The building only reflects the profit motive of the developer.” 

Stallcup also cited concerns about traffic flow, loading berths and a potential reduction in retail and office space downtown. Like many others, she said the developers did not offer enough benefits in return for the zoning variances they had been granted when the project was first approved. 

“This was a bad project in 2008, it is a bad project in 2013 and it will still be a bad project in 2016,” she said.

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl ruled that city council members should have to approve the developer’s request for a three-year extension by a 6-3 vote, arguing that the extraordinary nature of the extension required the supermajority. However, council members voted down her ruling, after a motion by Ald. Ann Rainey (8th Ward).

Rainey also moved to amend the developer’s request and suggested that council members give Focus Development a one-year extension on the project, instead of three. She said she believed that one year would allow the developer enough time to come back with a project city council members might like.

“We are not developers. We are not architects. We have no business designing a building,” Rainey said. “They’re going to come to us with a project, either it’s going to meet the planned development or not.” 

Other council members, however, said they would prefer to see the developer go through the city planning process again, rather than try to shoehorn a new project to fit into the plans that had already been approved. Anderson told aldermen that the company would want to make adjustments to the original plans, in order to fit current market conditions.

“I think what they’re trying to do is take an outdated plan and shave parts of it off,” said Ald. Melissa Wynne. “We realize this is a critical block, we want economic development in our downtown, but we don’t want something that’s been chopped and pieced together in order to fit under the requirements.”   

Wynne was among the five aldermen who voted against an extension on the planned development. Joining her were Ald. Judy Fiske (1st Ward), Ald. Don Wilson (4th Ward), Mark Tendam (6th Ward) and Jane Grover (7th Ward). Supporters of the tower extension included Ald. Peter Braithwaite (2nd Ward), Ald. Delores Holmes (5th Ward), Ald. Ann Rainey (8th Ward) and Ald. Coleen Burrus (9th Ward), who originally opposed the project in 2009.