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City Focuses on Downtown Retail Mix

Barnes & Noble has posted signs saying it will open its new store in Sherman Plaza on Aug. 16, and Assistant City Manager Judith Aiello told the committee July 26 that five other businesses - Pier 1 Imports, Jos. A. Bank, LA Fitness, Ann Taylor Loft and Washington Mutual Bank - plan to open by the end of August.

Assistant City Manager Judy Aiello said a group of independent merchants, who originally organized around concerns about how their businesses might have been disrupted during construction of a project proposed for 1515 Chicago Ave. (which the City Council rejected last month), have urged the City to provide reduced parking rates for employees, create a parking validation system for customers and do more to help market downtown businesses.

Diane Williams, director of the downtown marketing group Evmark, said she has been looking to Ann Arbor, Mich., for ideas, and plans to talk to officials in other college towns, perhaps Boulder, Col., and Cambridge, Mass., as well.

Ms. Aiello said there is a growing body of planning literature about how to create an interesting retail mix.

"Is there a tipping point of having too many restaurants, and how would you decide?" are among the questions that need to be answered, she said, adding, "The data we have from the downtown visioning study is that there is a good mix - at least across the whole of the downtown," she added.

"Is there a tipping point with cell phone stores and nail salons?" Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, asked. "We do have too many of those," Ms. Williams replied.

In women's clothing stores, "we have an interesting mix, but it's mostly for women 30 years old and younger," Ms. Aiello said. "We're finally getting a men's clothing store with Jos. A. Bank opening in Sherman Plaza."

Ms. Aiello said part of the issue in attracting a good mix of national chains and independent merchants is having the right mix of old and new retail spaces. Until recently Evanston was short on modern retail spaces, which typically are more open, with greater depth and larger total square footage than older buildings. The new spaces are what most national retailers want, Ms. Aiello said.

However, Ms. Williams said, there are exceptions to that rule, including the furniture chain Design Within Reach, located here in the former Varsity Theatre building, which always seeks out vintage space.

Modern spaces are not what a small independent, who may only be looking for 500 square feet, generally wants, Ms. Aiello said. In addition, the independent businesses are attracted to older buildings because they often rent for less. The key for the City, she said, is to maintain a good supply of both types of space.

Another issue, she explained, is that landlords generally prefer to rent to national chains, which have far better credit ratings and will continue to pay rent through their lease term even if they decide to close a store.

"Susie, who wants to open a store because she likes to shop, just doesn't appeal to them," Ms. Aiello said. So the City is trying to attract retailers who already are running a couple of stores elsewhere in the metro area and could open a third version of their concept here. That track record, she said, provides a lot more comfort to a landlord.

A Plan Commission subcommittee is also working to develop a new zoning scheme for downtown, which may try to ensure that the City has the right sort of spaces for the merchant mix it seeks.

Downtown housing market
Although recent reports have suggested a cooling in the housing market nationally and locally, Ms. Aiello said sales went very well on the Sherman Plaza condos, especially on high-end units.

The project has 12 penthouse units, and Ms. Aiello says the developers now believe they could have sold twice as many. "We now tell developers we think there is pent-up market demand from people who are selling big homes and want to go into a condo, but not a little 1,100-square-foot one."

She said the first condo buyers are expected to start moving into their units at Sherman Plaza between the end of August and mid-September.

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Building a New Civic Center Without Bricks and Mortar: What Does Evanston Want?

Mr. Velez and Mr. Schurect said the visioning process would be more expansive if the Council and staff had no specific site in mind. They said their firm had constructed new buildings as well as completed several adaptive re-uses of old buildings, including the Renaissance Center in Detroit and the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera buildings in Chicago.

Most agreed that the present building sees a lot of citizen use and activity. Many also agreed that reconfigured space would allow for more efficient delivery of City services, better-run meetings and perhaps greater deliberation among Council or committee members at those meetings.

"The Civic Center we have now is one of the country's most accessible civic centers. I don't mean handicap-accessible, because it's not. But the community is there all the time," said Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward.

Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, said, "The corridors of the Civic Center are occupied not so much by us as by our citizens."

"You can walk into the Mayor's office - you can't do that in Chicago," said Mr. Rubin, adding, "There are 350 meetings a month, 250-275 workers there, and about 500 visitors a week."

"It's built on beautiful open space.... It's just such a great place," said Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward.

Although there was no consensus, there was little disagreement when suggestions were made about having a central reception area (the present building has seven entrances), a centralized place to pay bills, better technology and better use of it (such as kiosks with Internet access, for residents to pay bills or download applications), improved bathrooms, better designed Council chambers, both small and large meeting rooms and a place for staff to eat lunch.

"There are no little breakout rooms," said David Cook of Facilities Management, "but you find people having meetings in the hall, after or during other, larger meetings. On the one hand it makes the City feel like a small town - things get done out in the open. On the other hand, it would be nice if they had a table and chairs."

"The new Civic Center should be sustainable," said Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, "to help us get in line with our self-image."

City Manager Julia Carroll agreed, saying that since the City is promoting a greater use of bicycles, there should be shower facilities - and perhaps exercise facilities, to promote wellness.

In response to a question about what services or programs should be included in the new Civic Center, most agreed that all government offices would have a place - township, county, state and federal - as might the Evanston Community Media Center (the local cable television station).

Mayor Lorraine Morton said, "What would you leave out? We have two hospitals; we're duplicating services in our health department. I feel there are creative ways of handling [health services]."

Even though they were asked to refrain, some could not resist the temptation to think of the physical building.

Alluding to the former use of the current Civic Center as a Catholic girls' school, Ms. Carroll said, "We're stuck in classrooms; we need different-sized rooms."

Ald. Rainey said, "We have a beautiful space and a park. What better place for the Avenue of the Righteous [a memorial to those who helped victims of the Holocaust]?"

"Some say the wide hallways are a waste of space," said Mayor Morton, "but I think of it as elegance."

Ald. Bernstein said, "We sometimes have trouble balancing a budget - we prefer functionality rather than opulence. We don't want something like the [District 65 administration building] with its atrium up to the sky and grandiose board room. It's out of character - especially when the District is cutting educational programs."

The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill representatives will meet with City staff and report those suggestions to the City Council.

Some people have expressed concern about what will happen to the Avenue of the Righteous if the City relocates its headquarters from Ridge Avenue.

Farewell and Hail to the Chief

Former police chiefs (left to right) William Logan, William McHugh and Ernest Jacobi along with and Mayor Lorraine Morton congratulate Police Chief Frank Kaminski on his retirement. Photo by Laura Rust

By Mary Helt Gavin

After 32 years of service in the Evanston Police Department, Police Chief Frank Kaminski retired on July 28. The night before, more than 200 well-wishers - including three former Evanston police chiefs - gathered at the Levy Center to wish him well. Rabbi Dov Klein of the police chaplain/clergy team thanked Chief Kaminski "for implementing the ‘God squad,' leading the way, going above and beyond the call of duty and making the Evanston police department one of the most exemplary police departments in the United States."

Deputy Chief Joe Bellino, who emceed the ceremony, noted the importance of cooperation between the police department and the fire department, as well as "lawmakers from Washington, D.C., to Ridge Avenue."

Representatives from the offices of State Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg, State Representative Julie Hamos, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky noted Chief Kaminski's service to the community. "Thank you for protecting our community; thank you for your goodness, dignity and professionalism," said Karen Chavers of Mr. Suffredin's office.

Mayor Lorraine Morton said, "The community is respectful and appreciative of the services [you have] given to this community. … God has given you wisdom and a heart to let you see that the greatest people are the people that you serve."

Police-community partnerships are one of the legacies of Chief Kaminski's tenure as chief of police. He often said publicly that the police need the community involvement in order to do their job well. David Bradford of South West Evanston Residents Association (SWEAR) and Michelle Hayes of Brummell Park Neighbors both noted his receptiveness to helping neighborhood groups.

"He has been responsive when problems come up. You can call the chief of police and he will answer the phone," said Mr. Bradford.

Ms. Hayes said, "Our neighborhood has had its share of troubles, but Chief Kaminski has showed us what the neighborhood could be."

Police groups, including the Northwestern University Police Department, Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, the North Illinois Police Alarm System, the North Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police and NORTAF (North Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, of which Chief Kaminski was one of the founders) recognized the chief's leadership.

Fellow police officers and Evanston Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky also commended Chief Kaminski for his leadership and spirit of collaboration. He responded, "It's been a great job and a wonderful career. You get to see the best of people and the worst of people. I hope I made a difference in some people's lives."

Acting Police Chief Dennis Nilsson presented Chief Kaminski with a shadow box containing the stars he wore during his career, to commemorate, he said, "32 years of exceptional service, commitment and leadership."

Noting that, although Chief Kaminski retired from the police department, he would shortly assume his new duties as head of security for Evanston Township High School, Mr. Bellino said, "It's not ‘good-bye.' It's ‘see you in a couple of weeks.'"

On Aug. 9 at 5 p.m., the Highland Garden Club will plant a chinkapin oak tree in Independence Park, Central Street at Stewart Avenue, in honor of former chief Kaminski.

Evanston Celebrates National Night Out

National Night Out, traditionally observed on the first Tuesday of August, drew celebrations from many neighborhood groups throughout the community.

Despite the sweltering heat - it was still over 100 degrees at 6:30 p.m. - people rallied at cookouts, parties, neighborhood walks, and, in one case, a candlelight vigil.

At the corner of Church Street and Dodge Avenue, residents of the Fifth Ward gathered to affirm their strength as a community. By 8:30 p.m. nearly 250 persons gathered for a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence to commemorate "those who have lost their lives to violence in our community," said Fifth Ward Alderman Delores Holmes. "Although today is meant to be a positive community event, we cannot forget what has brought us together," she added.

National Night Out is designed to heighten awareness of crime and the need for drug prevention; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Observing National Night Out at Church Street and Dodge Avenue in front of a mural that heralds the future are Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky, Bill Smith of Evanston Community Development Corporation, Fifth Ward Alderman Delores Holmes, Deputy Police Chief Demetrious Cook and Seventh Ward Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl.

Corrections and Clarifications

An article on the development at 1881 Oak Ave. in the July 12 issue referred to the location of the Butler building and the Emerson Y. Both were located in what is now the Research Park, the "site" mentioned in the article, but neither was located on the parcel that became 1881 Oak Ave.

In the July 26 edition, an article on electric cars stated that George Gladic himself converted his car to electric power, when in fact the conversion was a collaborative effort among members of the Fox Valley Electric Auto Association.

In the Traffic Guy column in the July 26 issue, the creation of the ice-cream sundae was attributed to John Garwood, when in fact the sundae was first created in Evanston, if not in the world, by William C. Garwood. The RoundTable regrets the errors.

Downtown Construction Slows

By Bill Smith

There will be fewer construction cranes on downtown Evanston's skyline in coming months than it appeared there might be just a few months ago.

Two projects unveiled last fall seem to have stalled, and a third was rejected last month by the City Council.

City Planning Division Director Dennis Marino said at last month's Downtown Plan meeting that he has heard nothing recently from representatives of the John Buck Company about their plans, announced last October, for a 20-story condominium project on a narrow vacant lot at 605 Davis St.

The building would have shared the parking ramp of Buck's Park Evanston rental high-rise around the corner at 1630 Chicago Ave.

Because of the small size of the lot, the developer needed agreements with property owners on both sides to meet building code requirements for having windows on the east and west façades.

The developer had partnered with the owner of the landmarked University Building to the east on the corner of Davis and Chicago to resolve half that problem, but when the plans were announced he had not yet reached an agreement with the owners of the bank drive-through to the west of the site.

"When bank mergers occur sometimes it takes 18 months or more before the new owners catch up with their assets," Mr. Marino said, so with the recent transition of the bank from Bank One to Chase, that could be what is still delaying the project.

Atira Hotels of Chicago told City planners last September that they hoped to build a 10-story Residence Inn extended-stay hotel on the site of the now-vacant three-story office building at 1890 Maple Ave.

Mr. Marino said there was extensive activity planning for that project for a few months, but it has dramatically slowed down, although he said he had received an e-mail from the lead investor recently, indicating that they were still very much interested in the project.

It is not known at this point what will happen next with the Optima Promenade site at 1515 Chicago Ave., where the City Council last month turned down plans to build an 18-story mixed-use retail, office and residential condominium development to replace low-rise commercial buildings.

But, as construction wraps up this fall on Sherman Plaza, building may begin on two downtown projects.

Developers of the Winthrop Club, a high-rise condo project at 1567 Maple Ave. approved by City Council last October, have opened a sales office in the Evanston Galleria building on Benson Avenue, and Robert King is moving ahead with his plans for the 18-story Carroll Place condo development at 1881 Oak Ave., after having received City Council approval last month.

New Definitions for Open Meetings Act

On July 31, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed into law Senate Bill 585, which makes numerous changes to the Illinois Open Meetings Act, effective Jan. 1, 2007.

Public meetings are redefined in this bill to include new technology that allows interactive communication even when participants are not in each other's physical presence: "Meeting" under the new law means "any gathering, whether in person or by ­video or audio conference, telephone call, electronic means ... of a majority of a quorum of the ­members of a public body held for the purpose of discussing public business." ­In addition, the new law requires a quorum of members of a public body must be physically present in order for other members to participate in a meeting electronically.

Recently Evanston City Council passed an ordinance that comports with the new law, requiring a quorum of Council members to be physically present during deliberations or voting and limiting each Council member to one "virtual" presence per year.

The District 65 Board of Education recently received a letter from the Attorney General's office discussing an event in late spring when several Board members communicated by e-mail. The letter stated that, although the Board had not violated the Open Meeting Act, its actions did violate the spirit of the act.

Even more recently, District 202 Board members openly discussed in a Board meeting the fact that some of them had communicated by e-mail about topics on the Board's agenda. No complaint has been filed about that, however.

Bill 585 was an initiative of the Illinois Press Association and the Illinois State Bar Association.

Rally for Victims of New, Continuing Wars

By Mary Helt Gavin

Fountain Square, the memorial dedicated to Evanstonians who have died in the armed services, continues to be a place from which calls for peace are heard weekly. Since the U. S. government first threatened to invade Iraq in 2002, Evanston residents and others have held rallies, marches, demonstrations and vigils, all calling for peace.

For several months, representatives of Women in Black, an international organization of women who, according to their website, "stand in silent vigil to protest war, rape as a tool of war, ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses all over the world," have held Wednesday vigils at Fountain Square.

On July 4, CodePink, a national antiwar women's coalition, launched its "Bring the Troops Home Fast" campaign at Fountain Square - a modified hunger strike to build momentum to end the violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On July 26, the Campaign for Collateral Compassion rallied Neighbors for Peace, the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Northwestern Students Opposing War and Racism to protest the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militia Hezbollah. The rally was "very much in response to the decimation of so many innocent people in Lebanon," said Anya Cordell, founder of the Campaign for Collateral Compassion.

Sarah Levy of Northwestern said, "People's feelings are that they need to stand up and say specifically what Israel is doing is not okay."

Dickelle Fonda of the North Shore Coalition for Peace and Justice said, "This is a spontaneous outcry. We felt we needed to come out and speak. The silence is deafening, and our silence condones the murder of women and children."

One demonstrator held a sign written in black letters on poster board that was frayed around the edges, stating "fog of ongoing war." Some of the demonstrators taped their mouths shut to indicate "that our voices and the voices of innocents around the world, caught in the crossfire, are not being heard," said Ms. Cordell.

Candace Esslinger of the Green Party, sitting or sometimes standing apart from the others, silently held up a lone dove.

Several local faith-based congregations have instituted a "rolling fast" for peace - a modification of the "Bring the Troops Home Fast - in which members fast sequentially for one day each. The congregations are the Unitarian Church of Evanston, Lake Street Church, Jewish Reconstructionist Synagogue, Evanston Meeting of Friends and St. Nicholas Parish.

Members of local peace organizations planned to attend Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's community meeting at the library last night.

Several peace groups gathered in late July to protest the killings of civilians in the current conflicts. Some taped their mouths to indicate their voices were not being heard by the leaders of this country.

Parking Committee Looks at Garage Use

By Bill Smith

At its July 31 meeting, the City's Parking Committee received a financial report that indicates offering free parking for the first month of the Sherman Plaza garage's operation cut combined revenue from the other two downtown garages by about 15 percent per day.

Total parking revenue seems to be increasing since the City started charging for parking at Sherman Plaza on July 6, but Public Works Director David Jennings cautioned that because of variations in the receipt of monthly parking fees and other factors, it is too soon to assess the revenue trend with certainty.

The committee deliberated the possibility of creating a discount rate for monthly parkers on the upper floors of the Sherman Plaza garage as a way to encourage employees at downtown businesses to switch to the garage rather than feeding street meters all day.

The members also discussed banning parking on the lowest levels of the new garage before 10 a.m. to keep those easy-to-reach spaces available for shoppers. The committee expects to take action on both those proposals later this year.

Professor Honored by President Bush

Mark Hersam, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, was honored at the White House on July 26 as a recipient of the 2005 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

The award, established in 1996, is the highest honor given by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent careers.

Prof. Hersam, an Evanston resident, was cited for outstanding research in applied science and for outstanding teaching and outreach in the fields of nanoscale science and engineering.

Fifth Ward Meeting Aug. 17

Alderman Delores Holmes invites community members to the next Fifth Ward meeting, set for 7 p.m. on Aug. 17 at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St.

Dairy Queen Hosts Benefit for Children's Miracle Network

On Aug. 10 Dairy Queen will hold a Miracle Treat Day, when all Dairy Queen and DQ Grill & Chill locations in North America will donate proceeds from every Blizzard treat to Children's Miracle Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's hospitals. All the funds raised stay in the local communities. The Evanston store is located at 999 Howard St. To find another location, visit www.dairyqueen.com.

A Perfect Summer Day, Part 2: Lakeshore Arts Festival.

With the white tents of the artists encircling the Dawes Park lagoon and the sound of music drifting along the breeze, the annual Lakeshore Art Festival brought visitors from within and without the community. More than 125 local, regional and national fine artists displayed their works at the festival. The festival included a family activity area, jazz and classical music and a silent art auction. In photo above Jean Joseph MonFort of J.J.M Primitive Art Studios of Los Angeles works on one of his paintings.

A Perfect Summer Day, Part 1: Gospel Fest.

Family Focus wound up some of its summer programs last weekend with the 14th annual Gospel Fest, held 1-4 p.m. on Aug. 5. Appreciative listeners sat on chairs on the tree-shaded lawn of the old Foster School at the Weissbourd Holmes building, 2010 Dewey Ave., while music from the choirs filled the area. These girls, participating in Family Focus's Creative Expressions camp, also sang in the Family Focus choir. Their summer camp adventures included sports activities and academic classes, said Roslynn Tillmon, one of the teachers, as well as art and cultural experiences, including lessons from the Actor's Gymnasium and S.O.U.L. Creations. Pictured clockwise from front are Mia Gillett, Raven Gilett, Michelle Brown, Jada Malone and Brianna Morris.

Director Appointed to CMAP

Executive Director of Housing Options for the Mentally Ill in Evanston Alexander Brown, Ph. D., LCSW, has been appointed to the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).

Created by the state legislature, CMAP is responsible for land use and transportation planning across seven counties in northeastern Illinois.

The committee is intended to give residents a strong voice in planning. More than 200 citizens expressed interest in serving on the committee, and 33 residents of the seven-county region were ultimately selected as members of the CAC.

HGTV Looking for Evanstonians

"Offbeat America" is a series on Home & Garden Television that takes a fresh look at the lives and creations of some inspiring homeowners.

HGTV is looking for unconventional and unusual houses or yards. Each half-hour episode features five to six homes from across the country.
Interested persons should contact Jennifer Jordon at 303-712-3152 or jjordon@highnoonentertainment.com.