Cubs Pitcher Yu Darvish Swings For 6-Foot Fence, Misses

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston will allow Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish to build a fence around the front of his property if he agrees to make it about half the size of his original request. Darvish's pitch for permission to surround the $4.5 million lakefront mansion he purchased in May with a 6-foot wrought-iron fence was rejected by the Zoning Board of Appeals Tuesday.

However, board members unanimously approved a compromise plan for a front yard fence in line with other homes in the neighborhood. City code generally limits fences to 4 feet and restricts them from front yards.

Zoning Administrator Scott Mangum denied the request on June 28 after the city's Preservation Committee had recommended against it. The appeals board was the last option for Darvish unless he decides to challenge the decision in court.

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-1 to reject the request, according to the Evanston Review. A compromise option was then adopted unanimously. Under that agreement, staff will measure nearby houses with existing fences on the west side of Sheridan Road, Evanston Now reported, and Darvish's fence will be permitted at whatever is calculated to be the average height of those fences.

Residents of the area complained the professional athlete's requests for zoning variations violated the spirit of the neighborhood. In public comments and letters to city staff, they questioned why Darvish and his family would chose to live beside a busy park if privacy and security were such significant concerns, arguing any hardship arising from a lack of a fence was self-imposed.

"If the city sets a precedent for Mr. Darvish, why wouldn't we be allowed to protect ourselves as well from the so-called deranged people," neighbor Pierre Durand asked a city planner. Darvish should either "adjust to Evanston's way of living, or else, he should contemplate a tall gated community in a western suburb," where he could have all the privacy he wanted, "without ever thinking about being part of his neighborhood," Durand wrote.

Neighbors Alexis and Craig Eyler wrote they were dismayed to only learn of their construction plans through a postcard and said it would compromise their property value and quality of life.

"There are numerous famous, prominent and/or wealthy individuals who live in Evanston and manage to do so without requesting special treatment," they wrote.

Representatives of the celebrity baseball player and his world wrestling champion wife had argued a higher fence is necessary due to security concerns.

They also pointed to an existing 6-foot metal fence on city property parallel to the north side of the property line. That fence had been approved by the city and leased for $1 a year to a previous owner more than 30 years ago, according to a staff memo.

Darvish is separately considering potentially leasing or buying that portion of city-owned lakefront property, immediately south of Clark Square Park.

Evanston Development Director Johanna Leonard said the rules for what Darvish could do with the land would be different depending on whether it was leased or bought outright. It would require six votes on the City Council to sell the property, and a simple majority of five to approve a lease, she said.

According to documents filed with the city on his behalf, Darvish has also purchased an empty lot next door and plans to build a garage for multiple cars there.

Ald. Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, who represents the area, told Pioneer Press she had no opinion the matter. But zoning appeals board member Scott Gingold said any hardship the Darvish family was facing was self-imposed. He said he did not agree with giving famous people preferential treatment.

“Your client was aware of the safety risks of his property at the time he bought it,” Gingold told the consultant representing Darvish at the hearing, according to the Evanston Review. “We’re being asked to do something different because it’s a celebrity.”

Read More: Yu Darvish Looks To Buy City's Lakefront, Build Fence Around Home »