Thursday, February 27, 2025 | View in browser
Fourth Ward News and Thoughts on the Civic Center
Hello Fourth Ward friends and neighbors,
First a quick reminder about our upcoming March gatherings, and then my thoughts on the Civic Center.
Ward Meeting:
Tuesday, March 4
7 p.m. to 8:30 pm
Robert Crown, Room D
Office Hours:
Saturday, March 8
10 a.m. to noon
Reprise Roasters, 710 Main St.
Hope to see you soon! Now, about the Civic Center…
*At the City Council meeting earlier this month, the Council was briefed on the latest developments in the years-long process of deciding what to do about the Lorraine Morton Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Avenue. The latest information: while historic preservation tax credits may be a source of funding for private redevelopment of the building, they’re not available for governmental use.
As we’ve contemplated the future of 2100 Ridge over the last four years--and indeed for well before that--I’ve kept an open mind, not wanting to make a final determination until we had all the information required for such a weighty decision. I believe we’re now at that point: it’s time to make the call, once and for all, that 2100 Ridge is better suited for an alternative use. Restoring the building for City operations is not in the long-term best interest of Evanston residents.
Here's my reasoning…
2100 Ridge is too big.
At 112,000 square feet, the building is more than double the size we need. With our current staff count and office protocols, we’ll get by with only 53,000 square feet (47%) at the 909 Davis location. It’s common in the corporate world for companies to downsize their offices as their operations evolve--this is how Underwriters’ Laboratories landed in Evanston. In a smaller building we’ll pay less for heating, cooling, maintenance, and cleaning. In a smaller building, city employees won’t have to walk half a city block to the restroom or to a meeting.
2100 Ridge is not functional.
Even if the building were the right size for us, 2100 Ridge does not function well as a civic center. The floor plan and room layout make sense for an early 20th century girls’ school, not a 21st century collaborative work environment. There are not enough restrooms. The building is not ADA compliant. The aging HVAC system negatively impacts employee comfort, and therefore productivity. The safety and security of City staff is difficult to ensure. Evanston residents will be better served by city staff working productively in a safe and comfortable building.
2100 Ridge is too expensive.
If we had all the money in the world, maybe the size and layout of the building wouldn’t be deal breakers—we could renovate to our satisfaction the space that we needed and maybe lease out the rest. It would be one heck of a “This Old House” episode. But hold on, let me check….no, we do not have all the money in the world. In fact, we’re rapidly drawing down on our reserves while also fully funding pensions and desperately trying to avoid a property tax increase. Fiscal responsibility demands that we divest 2100 Ridge, not renovate it. Multiple expert studies over the years all point in the same direction: it will cost tens of millions of dollars to bring 2100 Ridge up to modern building, energy, safety, and ADA standards. And we’d still have to pay to operate a place twice as big as we need. Alternatively, we could sell the building, let someone else use their capital to renovate it and convert it into much-needed housing, and receive property tax revenue once it’s on the tax rolls.
Downtown is better.
While we’re not yet ready to make the call about where exactly we should be long term, I like the idea of having a city hall downtown. Our biggest challenge in reinvigorating downtown is the drastic and continued reduction in the number of office workers post-pandemic. We’d be jumping up and down with excitement and rolling out the red carpet if a private company with hundreds of employees was considering a move downtown; let’s celebrate the fact that we can do this ourselves! As long as parking is readily available for those who drive (as it is at 909 Davis), a downtown location offers much greater accessibility to anyone arriving via public transportation or on bicycle. This applies to both residents and employees and will help us attract and retain the next generation of City staff.
But what about the referendum?
Fans of 2100 Ridge point to the 2007 referendum, claiming a community mandate to stay in the building. Indeed, 4,970 (83%) out of the 6,020 residents who voted at that time preferred to stay. That’s a pretty overwhelming margin, and this outpouring of love for 2100 Ridge is probably why it’s taken us so long to get the point where we are now. But let’s not forget that a second referendum question was also on the ballot in 2007: should we issue bonds to pay for a renovation. 2,185 (51%) out of 4,317 voters said “no,” with fewer people even weighing in on the difficult question of how to pay for it than who voted to stay. So what happened? Nothing. We stayed at 2100 Ridge for another 18 years and didn’t do anything more than apply temporary band-aids. Here we are almost two decades after the non-decision in 2007, and times have changed. Twenty percent of the current residents of Evanston weren’t even born when that referendum was on the ballot and the hybrid work revolution hadn’t yet transformed workplaces everywhere. The building is in worse shape than ever, and we need even less space.
Nonetheless, mindful of the staunch support for 2100 Ridge from some in the community, I didn’t want to make a long-term decision without engaging current Evanston residents in the discussion. To that end, we hosted four listening sessions late last fall, released an online poll, and commissioned a scientific survey to be sure we had an accurate read on community sentiment. The results of all this engagement were clear: Evanston residents are cost-conscious and want a functional city hall focused on core services in a location accessible by car, bike, and public transit. My conclusion: moving permanently out of 2100 Ridge is entirely consistent with what Evanston residents want in 2025.
Wrapping Up and Moving Forward
There’s nothing opaque about this decision-making process. In addition to the topic-specific public engagement last fall, we’ve been talking about it openly in Council meetings for years and I’ve been frank in ward meetings, office hours, and individual discussions about which way the wind has been blowing. We now know what we need to know and it’s time to make the call: 2100 Ridge is better suited for adaptive reuse. We should not move back.
Eventually we’ll have to decide on a permanent location for city hall, but we have time to work on that. Co-locating at the library seems like it might be a front runner, but let’s settle into 909 Davis, see how it feels downtown, get all the numbers, and consider our options. We’ll get to all that soon enough.
But for now, our focus should be on determining the best adaptive reuse of 2100 Ridge. I have some ideas and would love to hear yours.
It would be disingenuous to imply that I’m still on the fence about this, but if you have a compelling argument in favor of returning to 2100 Ridge that you think I might not have considered, please let me know. And if you’re ready to move on, please let me know that too.
With warm regards,
Jonathan
Here are some informative links:
*The views expressed are those of Councilmember Nieuwsma and not those of the City of Evanston.
 Community Meeting: Development at 605 Davis Street, March 6
Join me for a community meeting regarding the conceptual plans for a mixed-use development at 605 Davis St. At the meeting, we will hear from the developers and be able to ask questions and provide feedback. The meeting will take place at the Evanston Public Library Main Branch on Thursday, March 6, at 6 p.m.
About the project
Vermilion Development has submitted conceptual plans for a 31-story mixed-use development at 605 Davis St. The project would include 4,300 sq. ft. of ground floor commercial space, 78 parking spaces on floors 2-3, and a total of 447 multi-family residential apartment units above. The project would also feature a minimum of 20 percent onsite Inclusionary Housing units dispersed throughout the building. This project will require approval as a Planned Development and is still in the early design phase. A formal application requesting zoning approval has not yet been submitted. The specific development attributes may change as the proposal is finalized.
 Street Cleaning Begins Monday
The City will begin 2025 street cleaning operations on Mon., March 3, weather permitting. Street cleaning will run through December 15.
Parking signage posted at the beginning and end of each block indicates the specific days and times parking restrictions will be in place on each street. View the 2025 street cleaning map and schedule.
Parking is prohibited only on the days and times indicated on the street signs. The City reminds residents to always check the street signs before parking their cars. Drivers parked illegally are subject to a $75 ticket.
Sign Up for Courtesy Text and Email Reminders
The City offers courtesy text and email notifications to remind community members to move their vehicles prior to street cleaning. Sign up for parking notifications in your street cleaning zone by visiting cityofevanston.org/streetcleaning, or by calling/texting 847-448-4311.
Jonathan Nieuwsma
Councilmember, 4th Ward
jnieuwsma@cityofevanston.org
www.cityofevanston.org
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