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Aldermen Unanimously Approve Plan For Mayfair Industrial Corridor

But City Planning Director Dennis Marino said, "Most of the new construction is ... on vacant land, former railroad right-of-way or industrial property, much of which is vacant. That would not lead to any direct displacement."

The plan recently was revised to eliminate any impact on existing apartment buildings on Wesley Avenue north of Foster Street, which had originally been proposed as the site for a new cross street, and on two homes on Dodge Avenue just north of Church Street, which originally were proposed for possible inclusion in a multi-story mixed-use redevelopment.

But Mr. Marino conceded that successful development of the area may lead to an increase in the value of neighboring properties which could in turn result in higher tax assessments.

Mr. Sutton said, "My elderly mother is 86 years old. I don't want her to have to move because someone wants to put in a new street. We're not opposed to development. We are opposed to being removed from Evanston."

He proposed that the plan be revised to reduce the number of new housing units permitted.

But Community Development Director James Wolinski said, "If we decrease the density, that's going to be inviting more gentrification -- the fewer units, the more they'll have to sell for."

"If you decrease density it will possibly turn developers off to this whole plan. They have to get a return on their funding," Mr. Wolinski added.

City Planner Susan Guderly said the plan, developedby two City consultantswho conducted an extensive set of community meetings,calls for a variety of housing types designed to appeal to people at different income levels. The range is from large apartment buildings and six- and nine-flat apartments through townhomes, duplexes and small-lot detached single-family homes.

Some units should be affordable at market rates, she said, while others could be made affordable through housing assistance programs.

Alderman Steve Bernstein, 4th Ward, said, "I can relate to what Carlis is saying. People currently living there will find their property values enhanced. There has been substantial gentrification going on in this community forever."

"But you're not going to ask grandma to take less money for her property so it can stay affordable," he added. "People are going to want to maximize their gains when they get out."

Senior citizens on limited incomes are also eligible for the senior citizen tax assessment freeze, which blocks increases in their tax assessment.

Mr. Sutton also voiced fears that neighboring residents would have to pay for new streets called for in the master plan. But Mr. Marino said the cost for those likely would be split between the developers and the City, with the City's portion coming from incremental tax revenue generated by the new developments.

The aldermen also decided to let the area's building moratorium expire later this month. Zoning changes to implement the new master plan are currently under review by the City's Plan Commission.

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Parking Garage Collapses; Residents Forced To Evacuate Sienna Condominiums

Steve Knipstein, a spokesman for Roszak/ADC, said 7 percent of the garage was damaged, and added that the damage was confined to the concrete spans, not the steel structure of the garage, and was independent of the residential tower. "Nothing has been compromised under the main structure. The cement slabs, or ramps, are what gave way," he said.

The section of the pre-cast concrete span, measuring 20 feet by 70 feet, collapsed three stories to the basement. Mr. Wolinski said it appeared that five cars parked on the bottom floor suffered varying degrees of damage. Other than the firefighter, there were no injuries.

The construction of the garage was completed more than a year ago, said Mr. Wolinski. The top of the garage, which is near street level, was designed to be a common area and preparations for landscaping the roof were under way. Both Mr. Knipstein and Mr. Wolinski acknowledged that a pile of soil intended for the landscape construction was lying on the concrete plank when it collapsed.

While City officials and engineers, along with engineers from Roszak/ADC, assess the damage and search for the cause of the collapse, the 55 residents of the Sienna will not be allowed to return to their homes.

"It will take until the end of the week, at the earliest," said Mr. Wolinski.

The RoundTable contacted the Hearn Company, which owns the garage, to ask about alternatives for tenants who have rented parking spaces in the damaged structure, but the company said no one would be able to comment by the time this article went to press.

Mr. Knipstein added that it will take time for the emergency systems, such as fire alarms, smoke detectors and sprinklers, to be reconnected after they were disabled by the Fire Department when they arrived on the scene. "The City will not allow residents back in until they are able to ensure these systems work," he said.
Until then, most residents have relocated to hotels or the homes of friends or family members. Mr. Knipstein said Roszak/ADC will reimburse the residents for costs resulting from the collapse. "Our goal is to get the residents home as soon as possible," he said.

Survey Says Downtown Has Something Pleasing and Something Annoying to All

By Bill Smith

Many new downtown condo residents say they love their urban lifestyle. But others say high taxes may drive them out of Evanston.

Nearly half the 265 residents of five new condo developments who replied to a recent City survey responded to an open-ended question seeking opinions and suggestions about downtown. And they had a lot to say.

Eighteen people volunteered that they are happy with life downtown. The most frequent request - by 34 people - was for more new retail shops, services and entertainment options.

Now that they are ensconced in their new apartments in the sky, many new residents would limit the construction of new residential high-rises. Twenty-five people said construction of new high-rise condos should be sharply curtailed or halted entirely, although a few said they want condo construction to continue. Some planners believe that new retail growth is largely driven by increasing the residential customer base downtown.

Many comments called for the addition of more food stores. Trader Joe's was mentioned favorably by several residents.

Other residents would like to see a new department store, more clothing stores that cater to persons beyond college age and a bigger drug store than the existing downtown CVS.

Other suggestions included adding a bowling alley and more bars and restaurants. But some residents voiced concerns about late-night noise, and one suggested rolling back bar closing times to midnight.

Taxes
Twenty-two residents said they feel squeezed by the tax burden in Evanston and think condo owners are hit hardest.

"We are being taken advantage of, drained and soaked," one resident wrote. "Our taxes are way out of proportion to taxes on others, even within Evanston." A few said they are considering moving out of town to get away from high taxes.

The survey was distributed a few weeks ago, when downtown residents were organizing to oppose a since-rejected plan to tax them to support EvMark, the downtown marketing association.

Fifteen respondents mentioned their opposition to the EvMark tax.

But several residents called for a greater effort to keep the downtown area clean and attractive, something that has been one of EvMark's prime activities, in addition to promoting downtown businesses.

Public safety
More than two dozen residents voiced concerns about issues related to public safety.

Eleven said they would like to see beggars and homeless people off the streets.

"I get annoyed with the street people, especially near CVS. I get a bit scared when they are too persistent," wrote one resident who described herself as "a small female." Two noted problems with "lots of unsavory characters" on Clark Street across from the 800 Elgin building.

Ten people mentioned crime issues, such as residential burglaries and rowdy late-night partiers; one reported seeing "many NU students throwing up, buying drugs and being loud" in the early morning hours last summer. Another wrote, "[I] was burglarized recently, so kids want me to move to a safer place."

At least four residents said the City needs to be more aggressive in enforcing traffic regulations. "Ticket cars that drive through the red light on Sherman when turning onto Davis," said one.

Parking
About 20 residents mentioned issues related to downtown parking. Suggestions included making meter parking free after 6 p.m. so that evening visitors would not have to get up from the dinner table to refill the parking meter, providing residential parking permits for downtown residents, selling temporary parking permits residents could give their visitors, and an overall increase in available parking.

Public works
Five residents said they would like to see Fountain Square revived. "More flowers and landscaping and a fountain that works," said one. "Respect our war dead," demanded another. "It's an eyesore," said a third.

Other condo-dwellers called for repaving streets and improving traffic-signal timing.

Three residents said the City should do a better job of removing snow downtown, but two objected to all the salt used now, saying it injures the paws of their dogs.

Council Sets Affordable-Housing Caps

By Bill Smith

At the May 14 City Council meeting, aldermen rejected a staff proposal to make the City's affordable housing programs available to people earning up to 120 percent of the median income.

Instead, the Council voted to reserve 60 percent of the funds for households earning 80- percent or less of the median, with the other 40 percent available to people earning from 80- to 100-percent of the median. Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, urged Council not to approve the staff recommendation of 120 percent.

A staff memo said for a family of four, 80 percent of median household income would be about $56,900; 100 percent would be $75,400; and 120 percent would be $90,480.

Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward, said she favored the 120-percent cap. "I want to help the workforce in this community. If you assume two young teachers with a combined income of $80,000, it would be very hard for them to buy in this community."

But Alderman Lionel Jean-Baptiste, 2nd Ward, said, "Those who are able to make $84,000 or $75,000 with a family of four don't really need our assistance. I know a couple of people working for the City who had to buy in Wisconsin because they're only making $45,000 or $50,000."

Alderman Cheryl Wollin, 1st Ward, said she favored workforce housing programs that would help policemen, firefighters and teachers and urged leaving it to the City's housing commission to come up with "a variety of programs that fit diverse segments of the population."

But Alderman Steve Bernstein, 4th Ward, said that people at 120 percent of the median might have the knowledge to get private funds, or they could wait and gradually put together a down payment. He said he was more concerned about those with lower incomes who are living paycheck to paycheck.

The aldermen adopted the income cap in approving an ordinance renaming the City's affordable housing fund, but postponed approval of a companion resolution setting guidelines for administering the program to give the staff time to draft revisions sought by the aldermen.

Energy Commission Recommends Robust Energy Policy for City

By Mary Helt Gavin

The City's Energy Commission has drafted a new energy policy that would increase the City's involvement in at least three areas: monitoring energy distribution systems (the wires above ground and underground through which electricity is provided to customers), investigating the economies of scale and other advantages of having groups go toether to purchase energy (aggregation) and informing residents about alternative energy and competitively priced energy.

This proposal is the Commission's second attempt at implementing an energy policy for the City.

A prior one was turned down by the Administration and Public Works Committee of the City Council because it contained too many financial obligations for the City, Arlene Haas, a member of the Energy Commission, told the RoundTable.

"We felt like now is the time to try again," she said, adding that the Commission tacked on two items to the original proposal and diluted its mandatory oversight, which reduced its financial obligations.

"We've added renewable energy as one of the benign uses of energy for the City - environmentally friendly energy or energy form renewable sources, such as LED (light-emitting diode] traffic signals.

"Also, because of deregulation, the City is now being asked to look around at competitive sources for its citizens," Ms. Haas added.

Under the proposed policy, the City would review the energy distribution systems (wires, pipes, poles, etc.) at least annually. It would also promote and support energy conservation and environmental protection vis-à-vis energy use, such as renewable energy.

It would evaluate the available energy supplies and assess the merits of aggregate purchases of energy and would monitor and even attempt to influence changes in the law relating to the distribution and supply of energy.

Finally, the City would "make substantial efforts" to keep residents of Evanston are informed about energy.

The Energy Commission asked the Environment Board to review the policy before it goes again before the Administration and Public Works Committee, perhaps this summer.

The Energy Commission was formed as somewhat of a watchdog to help hold Commonwealth Edison accountable for its service to certain City properties and to Evanston residents, City staff said.

In reviewing the Commission's mission at the May 4 meeting, the members present agreed that NICOR, which supplies most of the natural gas used by Evanston residents, would fall under its umbrella.

Everyone Should Call About a Power Outage
The more calls about a power outage in the neighborhood, the more quickly Commonwealth Edison will be able to pinpoint the source of the problem, said Energy Commission members at their May 4 meeting.

On a tour ComEd's regional station, Commission members learned that multiple calls from customers about power outages can improve the speed of repair service, said commission member Arlene Haas. "The new computer system uses the information from all the calls to pinpoint the source of the problem," she added.

William Siegfriedt, another Energy Commission member, added that each successive call helps.
"With the first call, they'll think, ‘Maybe it's this pole.' With a second call, they might learn the outage is on the same pole, but a third call could indicate a wider problem. ComEd dispatches a truck toward the problem area with the first call, but customers should keep calling because it does make a difference."

Police Seek Rape Suspect

Evanston police are investigating the reported criminal sexual assault of a 22-year-old Northwestern University student in the 1200 block of Simpson Street.

In a news release, Deputy Police Chief Joseph Bellino saidthe victim reported the offender approached her from behind as she was attempting to enter the front doorof her apartment building at about 11:25 p.m. on May 9. He put his hand across her mouth and pushed her into the foyer entrance, demanded money and later sexually assaulted her.

He threatened to kill her if she screamed, police said. The victim was taken to Evanston Hospital, where she was seen by emergency room personnel and released.

Police describe the assailantas an African-American male, medium build, 5'4" to 5'6" tall, last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and light-colored pants.

Mr. Bellino said police units immediately initiated a search of the area for the offender while other officers conducted a canvass of the neighborhood for possible witnesses. Crime scene technicians processed the scene and recovered items of potential evidentiary value, he said.

As of Monday, Mr. Bellino said the investigation was "ongoing."

Anyone having information regarding this reported crime is requested to contact the Evanston Police Department'sCriminal Investigations Bureau, 847- 866-5040.

New Downtown Residents: Young Professionals and Empty-Nesters

By Bill Smith

Most people who have purchased new condos in downtown Evanston in the past few years already lived on the North Shore, and they are largely a mix of young professionals and empty-nesters.

Those are among the findings of a new City survey of residents of five large downtown condo buildingscompleted between 2002 and 2005. Preliminary results of the study were released at a Downtown Plan Committee meeting May 4.

The survey drew a 40-percent response rate from residents of the five buildings: Optima Horizons, 800 Elgin Road; Optima Towers, 1580 Sherman Ave.; Optima Views, 1720 Maple Ave.; Church Street Station, 1640 Maple Ave.; and the Roszak/ADC building at 1572 Maple Ave.

Of the adults in the new condo households, 43 percent are between 22 and 39 years old and another 39 percent are 55 or over, according to survey results.Only 3 percent are 18 to 21 years old, and fewer less than 15 percent are in the 40-to-54 age bracket, the survey found.

About 31 percent of the survey respondents said they moved from another home in Evanston, 20 percent from another North Shore suburb, 14 percent from the city of Chicago, 14 percent from elsewhere in Illinois and 16 percent from another state. Five percent did not respond to that question.

The study suggests Evanston's downtown population grew by nearly 28 percent as the result of the completion of those five buildings.

The 2000 U.S. Census showed roughly 4,300 people in the blocks City officials now consider to constitute the downtown area.

The racial distribution of the new residents is roughly equivalent to those living downtown in 2000, although there are fewer black residents in the new buildings.

The 2000 census reported 76.4 percent of downtown residents were white, 14.5 percent were Asian and 4.4 percent were black, with the rest either of other racial groups or mixed racial backgrounds.

Among respondents to the new survey, 78.1 percent identified themselves as white, 14.4 percent as Asian and 1.1 percent as black.

The average household size among the new condo dwellers is about 1.77 persons per household, smaller than the 2.27-person average household size for Evanston as a whole reported by the 2000 Census.

From the survey results, only about one condo household in ten included children.

Among those who reported paid employment, about one-third said they work in Evanston, another third said they work in Chicago and the rest work in another suburb.

Among those who work in Evanston, about a third said they work from home and another third work elsewhere in downtown Evanston.

Driving was the most common means of getting to work listed by survey respondents, who were free to specify more than one choice. Of all the responses, 47 percent specified driving, 34 percent said they take mass transit, 17 percent said they walk to work and just 2 percent said they bike to work.

Only 3 percent of households responding said they do not own a car; 60 percent said they have one car for the household, 30 percent have two and 2 percent have three or more cars.

Discerning Which Is Which
Gangs, Guns and Drugs Exist Here With Taggers and Harmless Groups Hanging on the Street Corners

By Bill Smith

Scores of Evanston residents concerned about gang and drug problems in their neighborhoods turned out for a meeting at the Levy Center on May 8.

Commander James Hutton of the Police Department's Neighborhood Enforcement Team (NET), the drugs and gang unit, said his officers have arrested nearly 100 people so far this year on drug and other charges and seized four ounces of cocaine, about 11 pounds of marijuana and a number of handguns.

Neighbors concerned about how to recognize gang activity on their streets were told that is getting harder to do.

Officers said gang members are less likely to dress in gang colors or have prominent gang tattoos today than in the past because they have learned that the flashy ways draw police attention and detract from their efforts to sell drugs.

Some have taken to dressing anonymously, for example in white T-shirts and blue jeans, to make it harder for officers to identify them. But as one officer said, that does not mean every kid dressed in a T-shirt and jeans is a gang member.

Detective Ryan Glew said various gangs are active in several neighborhoods in south and west Evanston, and he reviewed lists of gang colors and symbols.

He said while gang symbols often show up as graffiti sprayed on walls, most graffiti is just tagging done by individuals who want to show off and is not usually associated with more serious criminal activity.

For neighbors who are not sure whether people hanging out on the street are actually dealing drugs, the police also showed a series of surveillance videos of street-corner drug sales.

Det. Glew said drug dealing is characterized by a lot of quick contacts and hand-to-hand transactions. If the same folks are just standing around talking for a long time, he said, they are probably not dealing.

"A lot of it is kind of subjective," he added, "but if you see someone jump into the back of a car, go round the corner and then come right back," and it happens over and over, then it likely is drug dealing.

Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, who organized the meeting, asked about the use of local shops by some drug dealers.

Det. Glew said drug dealer sometimes hide small quantities of narcotics in convenience stores or use them to turn over cash they have received from buyers. He said most of the time the store owners are not willing participants in drug dealing.

Evanston's First Youth Summit Opens Communications

By Judy Chiss

After breakfast, teens engaged in team-building and competing for prizes built paper towers.

Evanston Township High School's Michael cafeteria hardly seems a place young people would willingly roll out of bed to visit on a Saturday morning, but more than 50 of them did last weekend for Evanston's first Youth Summit.

The free event, which kicked off at 10 a.m., was like any good party - it picked up steam as it went along. The Summit was part of the City's Youth Engagement Initiative and was designed to give high school-aged youth a voice and a real role in reshaping youth services and opportunities in Evanston. The bagels, buffalo wings, games, prizes, music and free tee-shirts helped make the day fun; but any visitor could tell that serious work, too, went on from 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

The keynote speaker, Ray Joy (ETHS '91 grad and current director of the Illinois Arts Alliance) set the tone for the day: hip and involved.

"Why would you rather own your own car and house instead of renting them?" Mr. Joy asked the group spread out at tables in the cafeteria. "We all care more about something we own, don't we? We'll all care more about this community where we live if we own it, really get involved in it." The former college football player and staffer for Representative Jan Schakowsky suggested that the Summit participants think about themselves, as he has thought of himself, "not as people that things happen to, but as people who make things happen."

Mr. Joy said, "You know, this town has so much to offer. Everything's here, but we're not connecting the dots."

"What do you like best about Evanston? What do you like least?" asked Shelia McCorkle, organizer of the event and coordinator of the Youth Engagement Initiative.

"I like my friends but I hate teachers that are apathetic."

"I like sports like basketball and football but I hate racist people here."

"I hate having drugs and alcohol in my school and neighborhood but I like the beach in Evanston."

"I like this park near my house but I don't like E.T.H.S."

Participants were encouraged to leave a "visual marker" of their day by helping to create a collaged mural sponsored by Evanston's Open Studio. The three-paneled art piece will be exhibited at ETHS, Open Studio and other community locations this year.

Young staff members from the YMCA, YOU, Gang Alternatives, Oakton Community College, BEHIV, Peer Services, and several other community and youth-oriented organizations acting as facilitators for small groups of youth made possible this outpouring of feeling. Brian Williams, Youth Worker from YOU, assured the group of young people at his table that they were there to do more than list gripes. "You're here to come up with strategies to help change things you don't like. A record of what you say today, your ideas, will be passed on to City officials."

Some of the youth involved in the day's event had been part of the pre-Summit planning meetings several months ago. "I came to this because my counselor at YOU asked me to come to the meetings and so I came to the Summit today," said freshman Jobel St. Louis. "I'm interested in knowing more about college stuff and think there should be more jobs for kids." Sophomore Kaesha Burnett said her main interest was in how to get alcohol and drugs off the streets and out of school. "Another topic that is important to talk about is sexual stuff, like pregnancy," she said.

YMCA Middle School Program manager Sarita Gardner, a product of Evanston's west side, had been part of the pre-event meetings and was at the Summit to register participants and hear their concerns. "This event is overdue, long overdue," she said.

The topics on the Summit agenda were culled from the 700 surveys, youth interviews and small group discussions that Shelia McCorkle and her small group of helpers read or facilitated over the past months.

Topics that Evanston youth wanted to grapple with included drugs and alcohol, race and diversity, job opportunities, crime and violence, college, gang activity, sex and teen pregnancy, social opportunities, and police presence.

A common complaint was about the segregation of races in the community and the high school. ETHS student Giovanna Smith said, "Even when our teacher tries to break up groups of kids sitting together in clumps in class, she can't. She tells us that we'll feel more comfortable with other races and groups if we get to know each other, but it feels kind of useless."

Someone at the table said that there would probably only be change if it started with younger kids, if they got used to mixing with people of other races at a young age.

There was widespread agreement that drugs and alcohol were a problem in Evanston. Reasons given for drug use included easy access, poor role models, and the influence of movies.

Luis Harrara, a sophomore, added, "Drugs and alcohol may be all around us, but you're in good hands if you have a family that cares about what you're doing. You would ruin not only your future but the lives of your family if you get mixed up with drugs and alcohol."

Summit participant Porsche Hunter brought along 2-year-old son Douglas so she could attend

.Shelia McCorkle admitted that she had not slept very well the night before the event but was pleased with the outcome. "It felt as though kids were having a really good time. The day felt festive, and even when the event was over, kids lingered."

Participants at the Summit, as well as the entire youth community between the ages of 14 to 18, are invited to apply for a position on the Youth Council.

Two representatives selected from each ward will receive leadership training and learn how to become effective advocates for their peers. Applications (available online at www.evanstonteens.com) are due May 25.