Last week, Northwestern University told the Evanston community that they’re listening, by not only significantly adapting their proposal to rebuild and rezone Ryan Field, but also by making generous financial commitments to our entire community. The new Ryan Field – and the now six concerts it will host throughout the year – isn’t just for the affluent, predominantly white residents who own homes in north Evanston near the stadium (though we know many of them are excited to attend concerts as well).
The new Ryan Field is for the teenager in our Fifth Ward who might not plan to attend college and is trying to figure out her future. The construction of the new Ryan Field will offer her and others in Evanston a $10 million workforce technology upskilling program and the opportunity to learn a trade, something that will give her a meaningful career path she can pursue in Evanston.
The new Ryan Field is for the downtown restaurant owner wondering if weekend foot traffic will ever get back to the way it was before COVID. Concerts will bring new people into Evanston for a night out – walking around, enjoying food and drink, and supporting local businesses and their employees.
The new Ryan Field is for the newly laid-off employee searching for work. The construction alone will create almost 3,000 new jobs in our community, not to mention the numerous jobs and internship opportunities the new live entertainment venue will generate.
The new Ryan Field is for the taxpayer worried about keeping up with future tax increases. The new stadium will be the single largest investment ever made in Evanston – at no cost to taxpayers — and will guarantee $2 million of annual revenue to help relieve our common tax burden. Plus, the new ticket surcharge will generate an additional $500,000 in revenue to support our schools.
The new Ryan Field is for local, minority- and women-owned business owners who are trying to grow their businesses and need new relationships and opportunities to do so. The construction of the stadium will bring with it a commitment to 35% of subcontracting – more than $208 million – for local, minority- and women-owned businesses, as well as the chance to build relationships and experience for future opportunities.
We see the new Ryan Field and the University’s proposal as looking beyond the north Evanston neighborhoods to the entire Evanston community – to our schools, our workers, our small businesses, and to residents whose voices aren’t often heard or included in plans like these. The new Ryan Field is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that our whole community can’t afford to miss.
Northwestern is listening to our community. We hope the Evanston Land Use Commission and City Council will also listen and consider the greater good.
Jane Grover, Former Seventh Ward Alderwoman
Cheryl Judice, Owner of Hecky’s Barbecue
on behalf of Field of Opportunities
Join our list of 850+ publicly named supporters at https://www.fieldofopportunities.org/supporters.
This letter says it all: Northwestern should be ashamed.
https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/08/24/letter-to-the-editor-black-community-dispute-northwestern-ryan-field-claims/
I couldn’t get past the 5th ward teenager not going to college and how rezoning the stadium for concerts will be her Saviour. I didn’t read the rest. I couldn’t read the rest. My stomach couldn’t take it. Frankly, I don’t care if NU builds a new stadium. Go for it! But rezoning for concerts takes it to another level. While I would LOVE LOVE to see Jay Z and Beyoncé here in Evanston or Dave Chappelle…NU will have to pour resources into the community – not trickle. I used to live across the street from the stadium. Unfortunately, I have been caught off guard a couple of times turning the corner to see a man’s private parts out to urinate. Kandi from iKandi Hair Studio says they just whip it out at her window and she sometimes has minors in her shop. So it DOES happen! Having football games we are fine with…even though the Star Spangle Banner was literally in my bedroom and I wouldn’t have to watch the game because I could hear the announcer, cheers, and boos over my own television right in front of me. The noise level is real! But we put up with it. Traffic was a challenge. I just made do! I either stayed in for the weekend or I made plans to be gone all day all night to avoid it. There was plenty of energy and it was exciting to walk down Central to see so many people in good spirits! So I don’t believe many are opposing a new stadium. We’ve grown used to the games. But concert noise levels and drunkenness and trash is quite different from a football game!!! Let’s get real here! Cheers from a game noise level is nothing compared to a bass, guitar, drums, singing…and in some cases HOLLERING, horns, stage explosions, a deejay…I mean the list goes on plus the crowd noise. So there definitely has to be some serious give and take…compromise that NU just has to meet the demands of the community to get what they want. I believe the people should vote on this because certain members of city council have been allegedly compromised. When attorney Schoenfeld had to file an EMERGENCY motion to stop corporation counsel Nick Cummings in a federal court before Judge Nancy Maldonado from acting on behalf of NU instead of Evanston…mistrust has definitely been created now. The judge denied Cummings motion, stating she did not feel comfortable with it. The motion Cummings filed was not for “clarity”. It was to modify a 20 year decree to assist NU in making decisions about land use without an agreement with Evanston. Who on city council gave Cummings the direction to file such a motion? The people should vote on the rezoning if NU does not give back to the community in a real, substantial way….in writing.
Rather than engaging in a meaningful dialogue and taking concrete steps to rectify the systemic racial equity issues faced by the Evanston Black community, it appears that the university is attempting to divert attention through surrogates to gain approval for the Ryan Field project by showcasing its supposed efforts to support Black individuals and organizations. This approach not only insults the intelligence of every Evanstonian but also perpetuates a racist narrative that undermines the genuine concerns raised by the Black community. The “look at how good we treat Black people” narrative reeks of a desperation from a vain billionaire and the corporate entities that would profit from a zoning change. Please stop. You are adding to the harm.
It may have been missed in the discussion regarding Ryan Field, but Northwestern announced $550,000 in 2023 Racial Equity and Community Partnership Grants for organizations in Evanston and Chicago. Grants to Evanston organizations include Books & Breakfast, Childcare Network of Evanston, the Evanston Development Cooperative, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and the YWCA Evanston/North Shore. These are the third year of the grants. Previous Evanston based grants supported the Evanston reparations program, local food deserts and youth development.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/07/racial-equity-grants-support-racial-justice-advocacy-healthcare-and-affordable-housing/?utm_source=nu_homepage
Sure, that’s great, but when is the Good Neighbor Fund coming back? And let’s be real, for NU to be a truly good neighbor, even if the stadium project wasn’t on the table, that measly $1M figure needs to be multiplied by 10 and it needs to be designated mostly for the school district and with no stipulations from NU. Do more NU. Just do more. You can afford it.
Thank you, Former Alderwoman Grover and Ms. Judice for your thoughtful piece on the benefits to Evanston of the new Ryan Field. Your conclusion that the new stadium, to replace an outdated, tired venue “is a once-in-a generation opportunity that our whole community can’t afford to miss” is well founded.
Jane no longer represents the 7th Ward, and her reasons for the “greater good” offer no relief from the burdens that will be imposed on the 7th Ward: noise, traffic, loss of property values.
No amount of magical thinking will enable Northwestern to jam an entertainment complex more than half the size of Soldier Field into a crowded residential area, surrounded by two-lane roads that can barely accommodate the crowds who attend Northwestern football games. This isn’t a ‘Not in My Back Yard’ issue; Northwestern’s demands would create constant congestion, security, environmental and noise problems for miles around. Evanston city government would be very wise to take its lead from Wilmette, where the Village Board has unanimously opposed Northwestern’s demands to change zoning laws that have served both communities for a century.
Isn’t Ms. Judice on the Northwestern faculty, and has been for some years? Brings back memories of emails from faculty members endorsing a historic designation for NE Evanston several years ago. That failed also.
James Olson: I’ve lived 2 blocks south of the stadium for 24 years and have enjoyed every minute of it; even when the games sell out at 47,000 people! On most home game days, we do get a lot of traffic but it’s well controlled by both NU and Evanston’s finest, the EPD.
In my 24 years, I’ve never had my lawn pooped or peed on, my child has not been harmed, I’ve haven’t encountered stumbling drunks everywhere and I haven’t become hearing impaired. I have picked up a stray beer or Red Bull can every now and then; I don’t consider that a burden.
What I have experienced is meeting fans from other schools and states, tailgating with my neighbors and friends, seeing the vitality in the neighboring blocks on both game days and evening events, and most of all: sharing in the sense of community that happens when diverse peoples are brought together for the sake of entertainment; which is a very human need.
I expect to have these same experiences should concerts and other events take place. I also expect traffic control and noise management. I trust this will happen based on my lived experience. What a fantastic opportunity for ALL of Evanston!
The authors of this article are spot on — the New Ryan Field is not just for north Evanston –as Council member Krissie Harris observed in her 2nd ward meeting on August 15th: “The city needs to be careful about opening Ryan Field to concerts because of the potential precedent it could set for similar requests elsewhere in Evanston.”
Northwestern wants an entertainment complex that will create harmful noise, congestion, and pollution levels with inadequate parking, which will compromise the livability of many parts of Evanston and expose residents and their children to unhealthy conditions.
Is Northwestern generous? Hardly. NU’s administration is a multi-billion-dollar corporation looking to profit at the expense of Evanston’s residential protections. Peter Barris, the venture capitalist who chairs Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees, concerned about the expansion of a patio at a historic hotel near his home on Martha’s Vineyard, wrote to the local commission: “Unbridled development” threatens a “peaceful, tranquil and family oriented neighborhood….in fact, the community appears to be under assault.”
But when it comes to revenue generation for NU, he discounted any similarity between his personal circumstances and the impact of Northwestern’s proposal for Ryan Field. In fact, Northwestern’s plans for “unbridled expansion”, under Peter Barris’s leadership IS exponentially worse.
So far 10 hazing lawsuits against the university (with more to come) are emblematic of NU’s leadership. NU leaders TALK AT the community not with it, remain opaque, never share data, refuse to answer pertinent questions, pretend they will bring prosperity to all of Evanston (without any rigorous analysis), and dismiss as mere inconveniences the disruption they will cause to residents of Evanston and Wilmette. They believe that if they say it enough times, and get others to do so, then it must be true!
Northwestern has convinced many residents that an economic cornucopia awaits but say nothing about costs to the city. The city has paid for its own consultants to begin to understand the numerous impacts. There undoubtedly will be costs associated with infrastructure, public safety, congestion, and pollution. Access to Evanston hospital and the retail district on Central Street will be limited. It already is on Football days.
How will the city cope with the onslaught? Potential visitors might avoid the city commercial districts altogether on event days due to lack of city garage or street parking.
NU’s Tripp Umbach economic pitch shows that concerts could generate additional annual tax revenue equal to about one-half of one percent of the combined budgets of Evanston and its two school districts (assuming the 10 concerts and unlimited events at the time of NU’s economic analysis. Northwestern has yet to share this data). Evanston property taxes will likely increase to cover the overhead of NU’s commercial venture.
Councilmember Harris continued to share her concerns “Some doors are meant to be open and some are not – Pandora’s box,” “I’m the first person to say, ‘If we do this, it sets a trap that we may not be able to stop, and is that – are we OK with that? And what does that look like down the road?’”
Harris fears Ryan Field concerts could open ‘Pandora’s box’ – https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/08/16/ryan-field-rodents-second-ward-meeting/
The statement, “as looking beyond the north Evanston neighborhoods to the entire Evanston community”, should give all Evanstonian and Wilmetteans pause. The Illinois Sports Authority built and paid for much of Guarantee Rate Field, the home of the White Sox. The owner Mr Reinsdorf has just shared he is considering moving the team even though the stadium is just 32 years old. Could this same scenario play out for NU’s entertainment venue? NU wants to build an entertainment venue that would be used for football maybe 6 or 7 per year. What if they decide to drop football as the mergers in college sports continue? Then is it just an entertainment venue? Who would be responsible for getting enough shows to warrant the venue? Would zoning need to be changed again to enable more and more shows? It is hard to believe that a smallish private university would qualify for the next mega-merger when the really big schools continue to chase the biggest of dollars and drop any pretense of a collegiate approach to sports. We are being asked to re-zone an entertainment venue that houses a semi-pro football team. Are beer, wine and alcohol sales next? Let’s call it what it is the Ryan Entertainment Venue benefiting a not for profit university. The trickle down of local jobs and funding would be in such small droplets that the only winner, as usual, would be NU. We had Potterville in, “It’s a Wonderful Life” and now are we to become PatRyanville?
And you all live how far from the stadium? How about we we have 35,000 strangers (many of whom will be inebriated) descend on your backyard) times each year. I moved in next to a football stadium, not a concert venue. Not the same.
James, to provide a different perspective — We have lived in our neighborhood for 10 years. First home was a block from the stadium on Asbury. Current home is directly next to the stadium (with zero inches and an old fence separating us). We haven’t witnessed any public urination or other activities in our yards or the alley behind our house. We’ve enjoyed living next to a Big 10 Stadium and we are supportive of 6 days of concerts per year – and appreciate NU coming down from their original proposal of 10 (actually, I think they started at 12?). I’m also not confident that concert attendees will be a less attractive group than college students, many of whom aren’t NU students (and, we do feel fortunate to share our community with a student body like NU).
NU is “listening”?
1) Ignore NU’s effort to deepen the divisions in the community;
2) Remember NU’s recent – and unsuccessful – joint motion with the city to quash dissent in “town-gown” committee meetings that have occurred for the past 19 years;
3) then read this earlier letter about NU’s phony “working group” to solicit community input that it then ignored – and decide for yourself: https://evanstonroundtable.com/2023/03/25/guest-essay-neighborhood-representatives-on-ryan-field-stadium-working-group/
THEN MAKE CENTRAL STREET CTA PURPLE LINE HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE ‼️
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This seems like a pretty emotionally manipulative letter. It starts with creating a “bad guy” or “the person preventing progress” – which is the “affluent predominately white residents who own homes on North Evanston” and quickly jumps to an possible girl in the 5th ward who doesn’t know if she can go to college and how Ryan field will help her. This seems like a lot of “other-ing” and turning people in the community against each other. Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t see an author with this letter, just an organization. I would be curious to know who wrote this?
Also, if we really care about empowering everyone in our community we can do that right now without having to re-build a stadium.
All-in-all this letter feels like a lot of virtue-signaling in order to manipulate people to support the northwestern rebuild.
Agree on all points. Was going to write my own response, but this is it. I would only reiterate the manipulative nature of the letter and I find it notable and slightly upsetting that it in this letter it was someone in the 5th ward who would not attend college and somehow benefit directly. If we want to help the youth of this city we do not have to build a concert stadium to do it. Give me a break, Jane.
I understand college is not for everyone and I don’t think every student should have to go to college to be successful. Still I’m confused why a world class university would rather have their donor try to create an upskilling program from scratch (when many such programs exist already and are run by more qualified people) instead of offering free or reduced tuition to Evanston students who otherwise couldn’t afford college.
It wouldn’t cost them much and as a non profit education institute, they shouldn’t care too much about their bottom line anyways.
Why would a college not want to support the evanston teenaget who dreams of obtaining a degree to pursue her dreams as well?
Does Northwestern want us to believe no student wants to to college or that a college education has no benefit?
Sow discord and division among Evanstonians: That’s the only tactic NU has left. That’s what this letter demonstrates. That will be the legacy of Ryan, Barris, Schill and their enablers in Evanston government if this boondoggle passes.
The letter’s swipe at “people who own homes in north Evanston” is utterly gratuitous. They could have said all those positive things without being divisive. But they couldn’t resist. That this is used in defense of a white billionaire’s ego project will be too delicious for the wider world to ignore.
It is wonderful that Northwestern is proposing to contribute some of its immense capital resources to the Evanston community as described above. Frankly, it is well past time that they contribute to the wellbeing of the city that provides them with a safe and attractive environment for their students and faculty.
The success of Evanston is due in large part to the wording and enforcement of its zoning laws. These laws create and preserve a framework for the safe and orderly development of property in our city. The purpose and intent of the Evanston Zoning Ordinance is cited at the end of this comment for the reader’s reference.
The establishment of a concert venue in the proposed Ryan Stadium would be contrary to all these listed intentions. Northwestern should be allowed to re-build their football stadium as the code allows. They should not be allowed to rewrite the zoning ordinance to allow them to violate many, if not all, of the stated purposes of the Zoning Ordinance. The Evanston Zoning Ordinance should not be for sale.
(Ord. No. 43-O-93)y
6-1-2. – PURPOSE AND INTENT.
This Ordinance is adopted, by the City of Evanston as a home rule unit of local government, for the purposes of:
(A) Promoting the public health, safety, comfort, morals, convenience, general welfare, and the objectives and policies of the comprehensive general plan, as adopted and amended, from time to time, by the City Council;
(B) Securing adequate light, pure air, and safety from fire and other dangers;
(C) Conserving and enhancing the taxable value of land and buildings throughout the City;
(D) Dividing the entire City into districts and restricting and regulating therein the location, construction, reconstruction, alteration, and use of buildings, structures, and land, whether for residential, university, business, industrial, or other specified uses;
(E) Minimizing or lessening congestion in the public streets;
(F) Preventing the overcrowding of land by regulating and limiting the height and bulk of buildings hereafter erected, as said buildings relate to land area;
(G) Establishing, regulating, and limiting the building or setback lines on or along streets, alleys, and property lines; (Ord. No. 43-O-93)
(H) Regulating and limiting the intensity of the use of lot areas, and regulating and determining the area of open spaces between and among the surrounding buildings; (Ord. 47-0-09)
(I) Establishing standards to which buildings or structures shall conform;
(J) Prohibiting uses, buildings, or structures that are incompatible with the character of established zoning districts; and
(K) Encouraging the preservation and enhancement of natural resources, historic resources, natural features, and aesthetic amenities in the city.
Yes, construction of “The New Ryan Entertainment Venue” just might bring a few of the benefits listed in the original letter. But those same benefits for the city could be achieved by building the entertainment venue on NU’s own campus, sparing those in our north Evanston neighborhoods most of the traffic, noise, alcohol abuse, and other problems we’ve cited before.
And, unrelated to the Ryan field issues, I support Ms. Barge’s comment. North Evanston and Evanston Hospital have long needed an elevator or escalator at the Central St. CTA station.