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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES-2007-06-07-20071 1 1 OF EVq� � x CITY COUNCIL * * June 7, 2007 ca ROLL CALL — PRESENT: Alderman Wollin Alderman Tisdahl Alderman Jean -Baptiste Alderman Rainey A Quorum was present. Alderman Holmes Alderman Hansen NOT PRESENT AT ROLL CALL: Alderman Moran ABSENT: Aldermen Wynne, Bernstein PRESIDING: Mayor Lorraine H. Morton At SPECIAL MEETING of the City Council was held to conduct a joint meeting with the Plan Commission regarding Downtown Planning on Thursday, June 7, 2007, at7:10 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Assistant City Manager Judith Aiello pointed out the new features in downtown Evanston. She noted that in 2004 a Downtown Visioning Session was held and in 2005 there was a Downtown Market Study and a Downtown Traffic Model. An outgrowth of those studies was the Plan Commission subcommittee formed called the Downtown Plan Committee. Ms. Aiello stated that the public will be asked to be an active participant in the process of creating a new downtown plan. Downtown Plan Committee Chair James Woods acknowledged the committee's members: David Galloway, Stuart Opdycke, Diane Williams from EVMark, Larry Widmayer and himself. Review of 2007 Guiding Principles for Downtown Commissioner Woods gave an overview of the 2007 Guiding Principles for Downtown Evanston. He stated that there are three designated sub -areas for physical planning and policy: traditional districts, transitional districts and core blocks. He noted the commission would consider shifting development review emphasis from individual planned developments to form -based code. Adaptive reuse, green and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) projects would be encouraged, but compatibility with existing adjacent structures should be considered. He cited working with the Preservation Commission to protect downtown's historic landmarks. Collaboration amongst all of the stakeholders, those who work downtown, those who live downtown, people from outside of downtown who shop and go to entertainment venues and restaurants in downtown would be encouraged. Mr. Woods stated that downtown has been developing a transit -oriented development (TOD) policy. He pointed out that almost as many people get off the train coming from downtown (Chicago) or other places south or north into Downtown Evanston as those who get on the train to go elsewhere. He stated the City has a truly unique situation where so many different kinds of public transportation come together within downtown and they need to take advantage of that. Commissioner Woods indicated they needed to study the parking supply and utilization in residential developments. With regard to physical conditions, streetscape, parks, open space, connectivity, way -finding and environment concerns, he said they want to create active public spaces for downtown for Evanston residents and visitors to use such as a new Fountain Square, new plazas with greenery that enhance the quality of life and balance density. They want to preserve and enhance access and ambience through capital improvements and, he added, they want to improve cleanliness, maintenance and beautification and enhance downtown way -finding for Evanston residents and visitors. In terms of public art, culture and recreational programming, Mr. Woods said they want to promote and install public art at appropriate locations (really develop a master plan for public art for the community) and encourage more cultural and recreational programming for outdoor spaces (and maybe) indoor spaces in downtown. H 16 2 June 7, 2007 Introduction of Consultant Team • Duncan Associates — Kirk Bishop, Team Leader and Tom Smith • The Lakota Group — John LaMotte • 180 Design Studio — Kevin Klinkenberg • Goodman -Williams Group — Linda Goodman and Christine Williams • KLOA Transportation Planners and Engineers — Neil Koenig Kirk Bishop stated there are four key phases of work involved in this project that will unfold over the next two -three months. He noted that the evening's kick-off of the Downtown Planning effort would provide the vital foundation for everything else that will occur. The Downtown Planning effort would be key to the design charrette phase and the zoning implementation phase. Mr. Bishop stated the fourth and final phase will be the recommended zoning strategies, amendments to the existing text and map of the (zoning) ordinance that may be necessary to implement the planning principles and goals that emanate from the Downtown Planning process and actual form -based code. Representatives from the consultant team gave a PowerPoint presentation. Discussion Mayor Morton asked Mr. LaMotte for his opinion on what makes a successful downtown venture. He responded that it should meet a multiple set of goals and objectives for a large town. They have found that the downtown needs to be a social center where people get to know their neighbors and can see people they know. He stated that for Evanston's size of downtown, it has office, service, commercial and a retail center for folks that are within its service area. Sometimes planners forget that people live closer to the downtown than other commercial areas and the convenience level needs to fit that. Mr. LaMotte added that it's got to be a fun, entertaining place for all ages and have green and open spaces where people want to hang out. It might not be a giant park but small spaces. Lastly, it's got to provide a balance of parking. Alderman Moran saw a confluence of a lot of these elements and thought they should be proud that they have the sort of downtown, not just for Evanston but also for other surrounding communities. He was excited and encouraged that since John Buck came and did the Park Evanston in 1992 or 1993 to now, the City has had 15 years of significant investors and developers coming and saying Evanston is a place where they want to invest. Alderman Moran viewed the arts as an over- expanding aspect of Evanston's destination appeal. Years ago, some tentative plans for a civic performing arts center here were developed and he thought that was something they should ultimately address. Alderman Moran stated that they have created an identity. It's a complex identity right now and Council tries to keep up with ideas about where the City going. He reiterated that there is a dynamism to Evanston that is dramatic and hopeful and that they needed to find a course of conduct to encourage that dynamism while hanging on to the things that, over many decades, have become dear to Evanstonians. They needed to determine how to wed some of these modern trends to some of the traditional value systems. Alderman Tisdahl noted that over the past years, they have lost rental buildings. She wanted to know, as they study Evanston, what percentage of buildings used to be rental and what aren't now, because an important tradition here has been to have a number of people who rent. She wondered how many condos would be too many for Evanston and thought five years from now, if that's all they build, they will have made a mistake. Mr. LaMotte asked why she thought that. Alderman Tisdahl responded that they need a mix --office space, rental --Evanston needs more diversity thanjust condos. Alderman Rainey asked did it really matter what they think in terms of nix or where they should build office space. She said one doesn't build office space and they will come. One builds office space if there is a demand for it. Ms. Goodman responded that office space, just like residential space, is not one thing, that there are lots of different kinds. The real estate industry tends to divide it into classes A, B and C, which are based on the quality of the space and also affects the rents. She thought they would look at what kinds of companies (big, small), what kinds of industries are they in, and is space available to meet the current and forecasted demand for those kinds of workers. Mr. LaMotte added that one of the things they would look at is the walking flow off the trains to design a little bit closer to where potential office workers who come to Evanston walk to. They would examine not just workers getting off the train, but also what is the best path for them and what are some blocks that may be encouraged more for office. y(7 3 June 7, 2007 Alderman Rainey commented that a lot of what's happening in Evanston now goes back to what was there before. She cited that there had been four movie theaters, some big -name department stores and more people shopped here 20 or 30 years ago than do now. She would be interested to know if there was a way to determine what the difference in retail in Evanston's downtown area is today compared to 30 years ago. Mr. LaMotte noted that Evanston has gotten a bit of a swing -back, not necessarily on big market, but the swing -back to people saying "We want to go somewhere that's more fun, greener, and a nicer place to shop." He stated that Evanston has a phenomenon of people coming, not necessarily for the shopping, but for a lot of the entertainment and things that are fun to do downtown. He added that when one hears about folks from the North Shore coming down and those from Chicago's north side coming up, that's great. Alderman Holmes wanted a downtown that's for everyone and doesn't want planners to forget the young people, the pre- adolescents and adolescents. She noted those groups have lots of money and get on the bus and go to Northbrook and down to Lincolnwood Mall. She thought Evanston needed something like a Dave & Buster's or some kind of fun zone that young people can get to easily --they can walk to downtown. Alderman Holmes hoped that they would look at that market as they develop. Mr. LaMotte asked for clarification and cited an earlier study that showed some older teens were coming down on the trains or driving because their parents felt comfortable with downtown (Evanston), but she was taking it one more step to the junior -high kids to have more things for them? Alderman Holmes responded, absolutely! Commissioner Galloway stated that he moved from Chicago to Evanston because there were affordable and abundant apartments that he could rent. He wondered if the rental market was as strong or as desirable presently as it was when he came here in 1983, or are rentals dead and do most young professionals simply leap into a condo? Ms. Goodman said that they would look at the rental market when they study the residential market. Some of the factors that affect the rental market also affect the condominium market. She pointed out what they want is a healthy mix and the market is volatile. Every few years there are new changes and demand, interest rates and the job market. There are lots of things that can affect the residential market. Alderman Jean -Baptiste has heard that when Council talks about development downtown, people ask whether or not they are changing the character of Evanston. His response was that they're changing the character of downtown to better serve the entire community and those who see it as a destination. He thought they have to keep that focus because the outlying areas of neighborhoods have remained basically stable. Alderman Jean -Baptiste believed the fear that people have often is tied to their perception that if you become very active in your downtown area, a lot of burden is created for the local neighborhoods. He noted particularly that as they reach out to various new residents downtown, those residents need to have a sense that there is an entire city --there's downtown and that the entire city has the need for downtown. There's got to be some degree of compatibility and tolerance. Alderman Jean -Baptiste agreed with Alderman Holmes and said a special effort would be needed to reach out to young people because there is a clash going on between the style of the youth, their MO, and the uses of downtown. He stated they should take into account what their needs are, the best way to fulfill those needs and the best way to maintain compatibility between the youth and adult populations who use downtown. Because ultimately, he opined, you could really lose all that you've built if there is no accommodation. Mr. LaMotte noted that they've had good luck when students come and that they give great input. Alderman Wollin wondered about an office -condo market and if there is a trend for smaller offices where someone might buy office space. She knew it's been done in different parts of the country, but did not know if it was prevalent here. Alderman Wollin noted that in her ward, there have been some minor conflicts between residents and restaurants with outdoor cafes. She remarked that it's very interesting because people who have moved to Evanston from the city think it's very quiet here. People who move from the northern suburbs into Evanston say, "my God, it's like Chicago down here. There's all this stuff going on and (they) think don't people ever go to sleep and they're in the streets at night." Mayor Morton remarked that, they're both right. Alderman Wollin agreed and pointed out that when people become residents of downtown, and it's a lively downtown, they have to realize that is what they're buying into. qJ (F 4 June 7, 2007 To piggyback on something that Alderman Moran said earlier, Alderman Wollin would love to see a live theater someplace downtown and noted that there are the parking garages and restaurants for it. We have small theaters in Evanston that would love to expand to a bigger space. Alderman Hansen had some concerns about moving forward in a downtown plan and wanted to know how much is too much in this one area? She noted that in terms of infrastructure, they have talked already about traffic, but things such as garbage, sanitation, sewer and water, were her concerns. How much more can the infrastructure sustain in the downtown. Alderman Hansen commented that new is wonderful, but we have so many unique, independent shops in downtown Evanston and thought people enjoy that. People like being able to shop at a big store like Ann Taylor Loft, Pier 1 or Barnes & Noble but they also like going to the smaller stores that are dispersed throughout the downtown. She wanted their downtown planning to keep that in mind to enable these stores and business owners to stay here. She believed that goes to Evanston's character as being some type of village. Alderman Hansen stated when they talk about the core area, which is a discussion that Council has had recently, how high is too high? She suspected that most Evanstonians don't want it to be the downtown of high-rises. She noted that Raymond Park is on the transitional end of that southeast part of downtown and felt more open space was needed to accommodate the density they have talked about for the future downtown plan. Commissioner Opdycke lives a couple of blocks from the downtown periphery area and finds it very exciting. He stated that Evanston's downtown is at the top of its game --that it is abuzz. He thought the question and focus of the public debate would be how much more buzz does Evanston need? Where do they draw the line? Is it 30 stories, 40 stories or 50 stories? He believed the core area could tolerate some more height but thinks they are near the end of the height question. Mr. LaMotte said that people often ask, what do you mean by building height? It's really broken down into three things. When you talk about building height, there's a visual. Some think that a tall building is a great visual, an icon or a beacon. Some think that a visual frames the end of streets. He cited the example of planning forefathers, who placed the iconic City Hall or courthouse at the end of the street. There's the visual, whether it's height or depth. The second thing is down at the bottom --the pedestrian environment. A gorgeous building can look like a spire from Lake Michigan, but what will it be like down at the base of the building when people walk around it? The third thing, that some folks react to when it comes to building height, is density. Is it 10 units, 20 units or 30 units? Can the sidewalk handle it? Can the street handle it? Can the sewer and water? Can the power or everything else handle it? Commissioner Woods thought the discussion about height has to be looked at carefully because there is the issue of overall height and the issue of the perceived height on the street at the pedestrian level. In his opinion, most people would think that three, four or five stories (height) as Evanston. Mr. Woods stated that from his reading and observation of things, density is a critical factor in the success of retail and in the success of downtowns to create vibrancy. Someone said earlier about downtown being sort of the economic engine for the community. He stated that unless every resident of Evanston wants to see their taxes go up enormously, they needed to think about downtown and how it does service the economic engine to support the community. Mr. Woods thought that, overall, the quality of architecture should be improved and that they should push for this higher quality not only in terms of physical buildings, but also in terms of the open space within the community. Whether it's Fountain Square, streetscapes, or new open space that's created within downtown, they should strive to have it be first- class, world -class space for the community. Mr. LaMotte noted for clarification that Commissioner Woods was saying that density, when it's done right, brings more energy to more folks there. Obviously it has to be balanced with infrastructure. But it's nothing to be afraid of if it's done right. Mr. Woods concurred. Mr. Klinkenberg asked what the commissioner meant by better quality of architecture? Commissioner Wood replied designs that have a higher level of detail, a better sense of proportion and scale than some of the development that has Y/7 5 June 7, 2007 occurred. He wanted to see additional detail and scale when looking at a street facade, the first four or five stories of a building. He wanted them to continue to develop the pedestrian environment and the relationship of buildings to it. Alderman Rainey pointed out one thing that appears to generate a lot of comments about being ugly are those things that are short that have been built in response to (public) outcry regarding height. They are ugly and sprawl all over the place. She has heard comments that tall is ugly and noted that is how it comes off in our community lately. Tall is ugly, high is ugly. She thought they needed to really look at that and suggested having examples in the (design) charrettes where, in the professionals' opinion, this (building) is tall and it is not ugly, this one is short and it is ugly. Alderman Rainey referred to comments made about mid -rises and wanted some idea what that means. Mr. LaMotte responded that it is usually geared toward the city or the town, what is mid -rise to you? Alderman Rainey wondered if it meant compared to the tallest building --is that what mid -rise is? Mr. LaMotte stated it's off of the tallest building in your town type. So, if your town has three, four, five stories and there's also a 10 or 20-story building, what is in the middle. Mr. LaMotte stated they would build a 3-13 model of downtown with what is allowed by zoning today. Then they would put in all the existing buildings and all the new ones, so people could see where those changes have been made and that would help the discussion about what it should be. Alderman Jean -Baptiste stated if you're already downtown, there is a certain expectation as to what your surroundings will be like, what your views will be. Then, two or three other buildings sprout up that will block your views. He felt they needed to discuss this as openly as possible so people know what they should expect. He said now is the time for that discussion to take place and to hear from downtown residents because it's one of the concerns that is raised by people. Mr. LaMotte pointed out that they raised the issue earlier --the predictability of Evanston's zoning. If you move into Site X and you know that Site Y next door is zoned for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 (stories), then you know what you're getting into. He thought some of this is process and regulation, things that Council has to struggle with every time and whether they should struggle with it. He noted that form -based code will help take some of that predictability up. Commissioner Woods agreed that making zoning more predictable with clear allowances in terms of what expectations can be for real public benefits, not just it will mean X more tax dollars, but things like public space, quality of architecture and quality of public interior spaces. He stated these things ought to be part of the new downtown plan. Commissioner Galloway shared many of Mr. Wood's feelings and opinions about height. He said they needed to pay more attention to the nature, character and proportion of tall (buildings) and not just the matter of it being tall. Oftentimes, he noted, the planned development ordinance has allowed buildings to be significantly higher than anyone could have imagined a number of years ago. That unexpected occurrence can cause alarm in any citizen. He stated one of the benefits of investigating form -based code will be having a form that is coherent, understandable and perceivable by developers and the public. He thought, in addition, its intent should be to establish a greater visual coherence of what the downtown is, where it is, where the center of downtown is, and where the periphery of downtown is. Alderman Wollin pointed out that unless you live next to the cemetery or right on the lake, you're not guaranteed a view. She agreed that people who just bought a condo want their view protected. She was also concerned about transitional space and, looking at Emerson, was not happy with the 18-story building there. She voted against it and, looking at the map (handout), it is exactly the wrong place for an 18-story building. She noted it is right across the street from homes, so both of those areas appeared very vulnerable to her. They are in transitional areas but she thought they didn't really transition very well. She stated they have to be very careful in these green areas and it would be nice if they stayed green, and added that those areas need sensitive consideration because they are the edge of the downtown. She noted that Emerson would take an enormous amount of infrastructure and traffic reconstruction to make the street workable in the future, even with the one project that's been approved. Alderman Wollin stated there are consequences to our decision and that, as a Council, they have to remember that as well. Mr. LaMotte remarked, Alderman Wollin, you have hit the classic thing is found in transition --have we transitioned from the core downtown down? Do we also watch what is happening on the other side of the street or the other side of the block? It's also transitioning to the adjacent smaller neighborhoods. 6 June 7, 2007 Alderman Hansen stated the public comes to the Plan Commission meetings (on planned developments), then plans come to P&D and people still don't understand why a building can be as high as the developer requests. She thought in terms of the City's PUD process, switching to a form -based code for more predictability would be a key idea. Alderman Moran said relative to this predictability, the PUD process they have as structured right now allows for some unpredictability. He noted the way it's playing out is that there is a huge amount of unpredictability. He clarified that to get a better project, the PUD statute says the City can give breaks to people, maybe a little bit higher or a little bit bigger, but they have to give those concessions because there are four things that will make this a really nice project. So, these allowances are built in to the PUD statute. He further explained that, where the PUD ordinance says give us a great project and Council will let you go there, developers end up being there times two. He noted, thus, the end of predictability, planning and design, as well as the end of expectations that to give this the City will get that. He commented, now it's the City will give this and then it will get a "wild project" in relation to what seems to be allowed. Alderman Moran said that part of their examination of these issues might entail rethinking how the PUD statute is structured now, what reasonable expectations arise from it, why they have not met those expectations and what they should do to re -tailor that process so those expectations are met more easily. He thought that they might need to go outside the allowances --if it's a two-thirds vote, maybe it needs to be more than a two-thirds vote. He suggested maybe it has to be a unanimous vote —that the PUD has to be so compelling that everyone agrees. He noted that if it's not that compelling, maybe they shouldn't do it and thus, all of this worked back to the theme of predictability. Alderman Moran stated there has been a long time discussion regarding the downtown about a wedding cake approach. In other words, the tallest tier is at the epicenter and then buildings cascade down from it. He thought it is a useful concept, but as part of their work, they needed to re-examine it, tailoring it to the notion of predictability. Alderman Moran added (regarding these ideas of blocked views) that if you're here (X-area), you can expect that there will be height. If you're here (Y-area), there will be two-thirds of that, and when you shift over another three blocks (Z-area), there will be a third of that and so on. One has a greater anticipation from people who will invest in a place to live or work. Those people will have a better expectation of what they will get over the next several decades with that predictability. Mr. LaMotte commented that Alderman Moran had hit it right on the head, that it's predictable for all the decision makers, planners, designer types and it's predictable for those who buy the unit, look out their window and say, "Whoops, I didn't know that was coming." If it was all set in the plan and they didn't look at it, that's the problem --buyers beware. Alderman Jean -Baptiste noted that 15 years ago, when the City Council along with the Plan Commission began to look at ways to excite development in the downtown area, Council thought about its needs and the City's needs. It thought about revenue, not only property tax but also the kind of sales tax that might be generated by density downtown with new businesses. He thought that was legitimate that now, having succeeded, Council is looking back and saying: where do we go from here? When Council talks about the next steps, they are still governed to a certain extent by the interest of the developers here. As they look at downtown and the debate over Fountain Square and other proposed buildings, he thought whatever they do or whatever plan they have, will be driven developers who come and say, I'm willing to build. Alderman Jean -Baptiste stated the City still has to maintain some degree of flexibility so that the plan does not constrain the kind of dynamism all have come to now enjoy and feel. He reiterated that Downtown Evanston planners have been victorious over the last 15 years and thought it important to balance the issues and analyze where we are and what are the real needs? He noted there may be some visual needs and some particular pedestrian experiences, such as green space, et cetera. But, he asked, did they still have the fundamental need to generate revenue? He thought that had to keep that in its proper perspective so they don't only get caught up in how things look, but also in what are the needs to operate the City. Alderman Rainey challenged Alderman Wollin's comment on Emerson, noting it's not all single-family homes there. First of all, she said, while it's down the street a bit, Sherman Gardens is seven stories. There's graduate student housing that is extremely dense and Primm Towers, at 1001 Emerson, which is very dense. She stated that it isn't like there is a building going up on Emerson that is completely unlike anything else. One thing that will happen is there will be rental housing there. It's going to be luxury rental housing, granted, but she thought that probably the vacancy rate in luxury 7 June 7, 2007 rental is very low. She pointed out that the tax rate for rental housing is higher than for single-family homes and it would be a'more lucrative project to have a multi -family rental built today. Mr. LaMotte said if they look at what the Plan Commission and the Downtown Planning Committee have just done, there has been some good thinking. They have shaped these districts and got us thinking in those three terms: the core or the downtown, transitional and traditional. He asked if Council liked the way the districts were formed. Alderman Rainey stated that in some of the outside areas, for example, Davis Street going west, there are low buildings: two-story, three-story buildings that are very quaint, but she knew for a fact that many are in terrible shape. She wondered how, while they want to keep the look, what about the quality? Mr. LaMotte stated that they have got to look at the quality, because sooner or later someone will knock on the door and need to redevelop. He stated if a building is not in good shape or the use can't work, what is the form for that district when that happens? He noted that was the challenge for all in the room --how do they keep that character? The character may be in some bigger buildings or it may be in the core, he asked, how do they get that character right? Commissioner Woods wanted to address Alderman Rainey's point a bit because he thought there are two aspects. One is if a developer comes in and tears a building down in what they have defined as "traditional" areas, the plan must have the proper height and relationship to the street that are important for a redevelopment in those areas. He thought one of the other things that has been a hallmark at the City was public -private partnerships. Finding an avenue for a public -private partnership that would allow those building owners to do restoration or preservation work on facades and their buildings was the second important component in that equation. Mr. Woods said one thing the committee thought was that in terms of a development allowance, they would allow one more story and additional FAR (floor area ratio) for the idea of having a level of parking below ground. If he wanted to criticize something that has happened continuously in downtown, it's that there is more and more aboveground parking. He noted that creates a certain level of building mass that has to exist aboveground --do they really need to have all of it? He asked about creating an economic incentive to get some of parking back underground. The current Zoning Code allows developers to build four stories and an additional 40 feet within many districts. Commissioner Woods stated that, all of a sudden it goes from an 85-foot building to 125-foot building to accommodate on -site parking. And, he commented, no one has to hide it or do anything, just kind of make it look nice behind the building's facade. Commissioner Opdycke noted that there are three traditional areas in Downtown Evanston: one is the Bennison block, the second is the Marshall Field's block and the third is the Pete Miller's block. He stated that the central characteristic of these traditional areas is scale. Commissioner Galloway said an example of a project that he thought addressed this concept and fulfilled it relatively well was the recent project that the Plan Commission reviewed at 1890 Maple. He stated in that project, the vast proportion of the building that approached the street was three to five stories in height. Then a portion of the tower addressed the street, but the vast majority it was set back significantly from Emerson Street. Commissioner Galloway commented that the traditional areas were meant to retain scale and character of the original booming retail history that, Alderman Rainey alluded to earlier. He noted that most of the buildings are of a certain vintage, but they engaged the Preservation Commission to evaluate all the buildings in these proposed districts for their architectural integrity, similar to the way they would evaluate any building for a landmark status. The result was that the majority of the buildings in those proposed traditional districts do have a relatively high level of integrity. In other words, he stated, they are not, imminently destined to become a pancake on the site. He pointed out the excellent process in which the Preservation Commission acted in a very brave proactive manner to substantiate the commission's desire to retain these areas as traditional areas. He agreed with Commissioner Woods that there are many options where the private and the public sectors, can work together to preserve these buildings over time. Mr. LaMotte asked everyone to think through the (downtown) core again. He stated they have had two or three proposals for new development on the Fountain Square block and a couple of others that are pending. Evanston is not a four or five- � zz 8 June 7, 2007 story downtown anymore in those core blocks. He noted they've gone to 20, with the tallest at 23 stories. He said that the consultants would work with the Council and Commissioners to show ideas and forms (form -based code). They would go down streets and see what the ideas will look like. Mr. LaMotte asked if there were any other direction or ideas they should look at? Did they think the core looked good? Stick with what the (Downtown Plan) Committee has done? Or go higher or lower in certain locations? Work with these averages a little bit? Alderman Moran said, with respect to the core, that height itself was not a big problem for him, noting that there is height there. The proposed block on a couple of different plans is one that is book -ended by height. He said beyond that, there needs to be a more discriminating look at how that height is done. He noted that they have two proposals for that block and he could never envision both of them there. He viewed them as competing projects, not as complementary projects. Alderman Moran observed that someone said, "Buyer beware;" asked did it have to be buyer beware to such a degree that literally one could expect everything to be cheek to jowl? Could there be height and avoid cheek to jowl? Could the height be oriented within this framework, this palette, to minimize the disruption from one building to another? Alderman Tisdahl agreed with Alderman Moran and it struck her that one height for the entire downtown was not appropriate. She noted that there are places where more height was acceptable, but that height would not be acceptable throughbut and suggested looking at the downtown in a more diverse manner. Mayor Morton noted that there would be community meetings and if people have other ideas, they would be able to share them at that time. She asked Mr. Mario if he wanted to close with a few remarks. Assistant Planning Director Dennis Mario announced the community meetings: Thursday, June 21, 7:00 p.m., in the Civic Center, Parasol Room. Thursday, July 12, 7:00 p.m., there would be two community meetings --one at the Levy Center (300 Dodge Ave.) and one at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center (1655 Foster St.). Tuesday, July 17 through Friday, July 20 would be the design charrette, at a place to be named later (within the downtown). That will wrap up Saturday, July 21 (Civic Center, Parasol Room) with a presentation of initial results from the design charrette. He encouraged everyone in the audience and watching on TV to use of the City's website. The Planning Division's section is very strong and maintained by General Planner Tracy Norfleet, who is very involved in this project. On the web, people can see a lot of the emerging documents, not only for the Downtown Planning, but also for other neighborhood planning. Alderman Holmes suggested that staff use the Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program to get input in terms of what these young people would like to have downtown. She believed it was an audience of about 100-150 kids and would be one way, maybe as part of the orientation, so they could work on this project. Mr. Mario stated it was an excellent idea and they would do that. He thanked the consulting team and said they were off to an excellent start. There being no further business to come before the Council, Mayor Morton asked for a motion to adjourn and the Council so moved at 9:30 p.m. Mayre Press, Deputy City Clerk A videotape recording of this meeting has been made part of the permanent record and is available in the City Clerk's office. A transcript is posted on the City's website: www.cityofevanston.org/govemment/minutes/plan. 1