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Health & Fitness

Evanston Zoning-Ordinance Author Will Serve As Witness Against Lakefront Parking Garage

The author of Evanston's zoning ordinance will serve as an expert witness in a lawsuit against the City of Evanston's approval of a seven-story parking garage on the lakefront

Evanston Zoning-Ordinance Author Will Serve As Witness Against Lakefront Parking Garage

March 19, 2013, Evanston, Ill. -- The author of Evanston's zoning ordinance will serve as an expert witness in a lawsuit against the City of Evanston's approval of a seven-story parking garage on the lakefront, the Evanston residents who are suing the city announced today.

Jacques Gourguechon, author of Evanston's original zoning ordinance in 1983, has agreed to assist the plaintiffs in their lawsuit.

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"As proposed, the parking garage violates both the letter and the intent of Evanston's zoning ordinance," Gourguechon said. "I am disappointed that the City Council would allow such a project to proceed, and I am eager to explain in court about the many ways in which this project fails to adhere to the city's own rules."

Matthew Mirapaul, one of three Evanston residents who filed the lawsuit against the city, said, "Construction may have started, but the builders of this massive parking garage are proceeding at their own peril. Everyone who loves the lakefront is mourning the premature removal of the trees at the north end of Clark Street Beach, but we still have strong reasons to pursue our cause."

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For instance, in its Feb. 14 response to the residents' lawsuit, the city acknowledged that the massive seven-story visitor center and parking garage will be in a U3 zoning district -- and that a visitor center is not listed as a permitted use in a U3 zone.

Additionally, Mirapaul said, "The city's response repeatedly states that it lacks sufficient knowledge to deny our allegations. That's one of the reasons we asserted that the City Council acted arbitrarily and capriciously in approving this project. If the city doesn't know enough to reply to our charges, how could the Council approve it?"

In a lawsuit filed on Jan. 11 in Cook County Circuit Court, Evanston residents Matthew Mirapaul, Ann Jennett and Mitchell Harrison asked the court to order Evanston to rescind its approval for Northwestern University to build a visitor center and 435-space parking garage at 1841 Sheridan Road. The parking garage is planned for the southeast corner of the NU campus, adjacent to Evanston's popular Clark Street Beach.

The lawsuit states that the City Council acted arbitrarily and capriciously in overturning the Evanston Preservation Commission's decision to deny a Certificate of Appropriateness for the parking garage. The suit also states that the structure violates the city's zoning ordinance and is contrary to longstanding City planning documents.

Mirapaul is a retired journalist. Joining him in the suit are Jennett, who has been active in the community for decades, and Harrison, president of Chicago Press Corp., a printing company. All three are longtime Evanston residents.

Gourguechon is a charter member of the American Planning Association (APA). He has served as president of the Illinois Chapter of the APA and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has been committed to sustainable planning and the protection of the earth’s natural resources through thoughtful planning throughout his career.

For more information, contact parksnotparking@gmail.com.

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