Ald. Rainey On Howard Street: ‘Spend Money to Make Money’

Evanston Ald. Ann Rainey said she sees business development increasing and crime decreasing on Howard Street since the city purchased three properties along the strip in 2011.

“The time and energy of public works and police and fire and the ambulances up and down Howard Street—that’s not going on anymore,” Rainey told local reporters during a recent taping of the Evanston Community Television Show ‘The Reporters.’

Rainey cited the opening of cocktail lounge Ward Eight and the anticipated opening of a restaurant and microbrewery at two of the city-owned properties as positive developments for Evanston as a whole. She said Ward Eight was generating much-needed rent and sales tax revenue to the city, and predicted that the new restaurant and a proposed theatre at the third city-owned property would also swell city tax rolls. 

“You’ve got to spend money to make money and I am here to tell you that we are going to come out way ahead,” she said.

All three projects involve city funds in one way or another, much of it from a tax-increment financing (TIF) from the city’s Howard/Ridge TIF district. Council members approved up to $100,000 in TIF dollars last year for improvements to the building where Ward Eight is located, and agreed to loan the owners $130,000 toward setup costs as part of a Community Development Block Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The owners of Ward Eight also entered into a lease-to-own agreement with the city.

City officials also agreed to a $200,000 construction grant using TIF dollars to the restaurant Group Peckish One LLC, which plans to open a microbrewery at the city-owned property at 623-627 ½ Howard St.

In January, aldermen voted 6-3 to reject a proposed $1.7 million city grant to City Lit Theatre, which was interested in occupying the third city-owned property at 727-9 Howard St. Ald. Jane Grover (7th ward) said she was “not comfortable with the price tag,” and would like to see a formal agreement hashed out with City Lit before the city undertook construction or renovation. 

Despite the delay, Rainey said the theatre was still interested in the space on Howard Street. And, she said, the development along the block was spurring other existing business owners to make improvements, including the owner of North Suburban Auto, who constructed a new façade for his building with the help of a $40,000 city façade grant.  

“We will help whoever needs help,” Rainey said. 

In conversation with the reporters, Rainey also talked about her vision for bringing more activities to the Evanston lakefront, such as eating, drinking and entertainment.

“Any other beachfront town you go to, there’s stuff going on. This is not a private beach, and I think we need to energize it,” she said. “There’s a lot of money to be made in doing that.”

Rainey also said the city needed to take another look at lakefront restrictions on parking, which limit the number of hours and times of parking for people who don’t live near the lake.

To hear the rest of Rainey’s comments to ‘The Reporters,’ click on the video link above.