By Shawn Jones
Everyone knows a controversial issue awaits decision when the yard signs spring up. Over the past six months or so, we have all seen them – the competing pro and con signs about the proposed new Ryan Field. Speaking for myself, many of my neighbors, and the dozen or so small businesses and restaurants that as an attorney I represent in the city, I urge everyone to support the new stadium for several very important reasons.
First, a bit of background: Northwestern has played football and other sports on Central Street for some 100 years, that entire time as a member of the Big Ten Conference. As most of you know, the Big Tean is one of the “Power Five” conferences, including such football luminaries as Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State. Every year over those 100 years, tens of thousands of out-of-town fans travel to Evanston to see their teams take on the Wildcats – on Central Street.
With these fan visits, come disruptions in traffic, parking and related issues that always arise when large groups of people gather. But on the flip side, the economic benefits come as well, with these same thousands of fans filling our restaurants, boutiques, hotels and movie theaters. Evanston businesses count on these sparse four or maybe five weekends a year knowing money will come in the door. Evanston taxpayers reap the benefit as well with thousands in sales tax, alcohol tax, hotel tax and parking fees added to the general fund.
There’s an added benefit when fans come to town from nearby – they might well fall in love with our beautiful city by the lake. They might come back. They might even decide to move here and set down roots. We have the chance to showcase our city to thousands of visitors many times every year and we should do everything we can to take advantage of this opportunity.
The new stadium proposal includes some number of concerts to be added to the four or five football games that have been occurring already for 100 years. With concerts, however, it is far more likely people will be traveling from the metro Chicago area, and if they like what they experience they will be back. Our small businesses desperately need this infusion of new customers. We should do everything we can to make their experience a wonderful, special, safe and welcoming one.
Again, I urge all of you to support the stadium – but with the goal stated above in mind. The proposal should be tailored toward creating a wonderful, special, safe and welcoming experience for all of our city’s visitors. A wonderful experience means smooth, steady traffic flow and ample parking. The proposal therefore needs to include sufficient parking with whatever road improvements are needed to ensure efficient traffic flow in and out of the area.
Central Street must be safe and welcoming, which means police and fire department staffing. While stadium events already include police and fire overtime premiums, the university should also make an annual contribution to our police and fire pension funds – every year for the expected 30 year lifespan of the stadium. As a good neighbor, I am sure they will be willing to see the necessity of providing for the safety of all visitors to the stadium, and those pension contributions will greatly assist in that goal.
Pension contributions would be, effectively, a tax cut for Evanston residents. Pension contributions come directly from property taxes. Any funds lessening the need for city contributions lessens the property tax burden, which is a direct tax cut for property owners and an indirect cut to rent for renters. We could all use some property tax relief.
Those opposed to the new Ryan Field will point to a traffic problem that already exists. The new stadium, if done properly, should actually improve the traffic flow problems. Others point to the basic distaste they feel for spending this much money on a stadium when so many have basic needs. While at a basic level I can see the point and agree with it, the fact is the money is not ours to spend. We may choose to do different things with the stadium money if we had it, but we do not. Amazingly, taxpayers are not being asked to contribute any money at all to the project. We get worlds of benefit without having to spend anything. Again, amazing. Please allow wealthy parties to spend lavishly to improve our city and lower our taxes. I simply can’t find a reason to oppose such a plan even though I would, personally, spend the money differently if I had it.
Finally, a significant group of residents remains anti-Northwestern, or anti-development, no matter what proposal comes before us. Again, at a basic level I understand this position. Northwestern pays no direct taxes. (They founded the city and under state law do not pay taxes.) New development changes how things look and feel, and so many love how things look and feel already. Neither of these “anti” positions, however, has a realistic solution. Things will change whether we like it or not – except Northwestern’s tax-exempt status. Realistically, we are not going to change that, so banging up against that brick wall in an effort to halt all Northwestern projects gets us exactly nowhere.
I have written so far about the long-term benefits to our city and specifically our businesses. The project has other short term, immediate, and direct benefits: Massive building projects bring building permit fees as much needed injections into the city’s general fund coffers. The university has already agreed that more than $200 million will be paid to Evanston businesses (or minority- or women-owned businesses). It’s truly a mind-boggling number – enough to set countless businesses on the road to long-term success while providing thousands of good jobs and good job training to Evanston residents. The impact on our community during construction – while short term – will be massive and positive for tens of thousands of our residents, many of whom are currently in need. Short term we get so, so much out of this deal.
Long-term economic development as well as short-term immediate economic impact are just two reasons to support the project – there are others. But these two reasons alone are enough for me and my small business clients.
Please join us in supporting the new Ryan Field.
Shawn Jones is a longtime Evanston resident and an attorney at the Law Offices of C. Shawn Jones, 708 Church St., and was a city reporter for the RoundTable for many years.
Very well said. A similar anti-growth uproar stopped Harley Clark from being improved approximately 5 years ago, today’s it windows are now boarded up and it went from being a jewel to an eyesore. The Stadium is in desperate need of repairs, we should not let the vocal few stop the improvement.
Thank you, Shawn for stating a fact that “those opposed” seem to not want to acknowledge: Northwestern already hosts football games at the Ryan Field site. Additionally, there are many more basketball games that draw a sizeable crowd more times per year at the arena adjoining Ryan Field. Yet somehow the surrounding neighborhood is still standing.
For those who say the stadium will rob local businesses of revenue, I’m curious as to which businesses these are? If anything, drawing more people to Central Street more times throughout the year, may actually spur more hospitality options to open along Central Street — options that will be available to the community even on non-event days.
A well-written and respectful letter. Nevertheless, this stadium plan is a commercial money-grab with a lot of external costs that will be shifted onto the neighborhoods surrounding the stadium. The University has never once acknowledged this. I side with the Central Street Neighbors Association and agree with their assessment of the impact: https://centralstreetneighbors.com/node/1575.
Thank you for providing the link to the Central Street Neighbors Association. I agree with you and them 100%.
I like your idea of people who are coming to football games or concerts also stoping to see a movie at our theater. A dollar for something that is never going to happen. Let’s be honest – 3 types of businesses are going to profit a marginal amount from this. One is catering inside the stadium (not owned by any one in this community but rather the large and notoriously lousy to its employees “compass group” – a British multinational contract foodservice company headquartered in Chertsey, England. It is the largest contract foodservice company in Europe, ahead of Sodexo, employing over 500,000 people.) 2 is one or two restaurants near the venue where people might get a drink before or after, 3 are hotels also not owned by any one in our community unless halim who lives in Winnetka (I think) gets his permit to build his hotel. Most local businesses in evanston are against this. The central street businesses are against it too.
People don’t go shopping then bring bags to a concert venue. That’s not how it works.
Again well said,and a gentle reminder of the fact that there are at least three sides to every issue.
“Those opposed to the new Ryan Field will point to a traffic problem that already exists. The new stadium, if done properly, should actually improve the traffic flow problems.”
“Shawn Jones is a longtime Evanston resident and an attorney at the Law Offices of C. Shawn Jones, 708 Church St.”
I’m going to trust the actual traffic experts and NU’s own report that says traffic will become an increased problem that will require hiring more police officers at a time when Evanston is struggling to retain and attract new officers over a lawyer who doesn’t do traffic planning.
Plenty of well written fair points, but they are almost all sandwiched in ‘IF’ statements that just aren’t on the table and NU has refused to address these issues. An actual solution that addresses the problems and guarantees nearly all the stated benefits for all simply isn’t what NU is offering. Advocating a vision of something that doesn’t line up to the current reality is counterproductive to actually achieving this desired outcome. We must not conflate the what ifs with the current facts and we must demand better.
Many like myself that support the stadium, but are opposed to the concerts, can imagine (and have even proposed) solutions for at least some of the issues… but until NU is willing to discuss/engage/negotiate in good faith we all owe it to Evanstonians to push back as hard/harder than they are obstinately pushing forward. We deserve better!