Mayor Responds to Harley-Clarke Mansion Petition

Responding to a petition opposing the sale of the city-owned Harley-Clarke Mansion, Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said Monday that the city simply couldn't afford to maintain the building, which is situated on 2.5 acres of lakefront property.

"The Harley Clarke Mansion has millions of dollars of deferred maintenance and the city does not have the resources to complete a renovation of the building," Tisdahl said in a letter read by city manager Wally Bobkiewicz at Monday night's city council meeting.

Evanston officials are expected to begin discussion soon over whether to accept a $1.2 million bid from Tawani Enterprises to turn the lakefront property into a 57-room boutique hotel, according to city sources. Submitted earlier this year, the bid is only about half of the city’s appraised value of $2.1 million for the home itself, according to city sources.   

"After a year-long public process to receive qualifications and then proposals from potential users, the city is now in preliminary discussions with Tawani Enterprises Inc. regarding its proposal,” Tisdahl’s letter said. “Those discussions include maintaining complete public access to the grounds and beach."

So far, more than 600 people have signed the petition on Change.org, which was started by Evanston resident Alex Block. 

"The Harley-Clarke Mansion is one of our community's greatest assets," Block writes on Change.org. "If the mansion is sold, the Evanston Arts Center will be forced to relocate."

In his petition, Block also criticized the way the sale of the property had been handled so far, alleging that negotiations had mostly occurred behind closed doors. Officials from Tawani enterprises met with city representatives in two closed-session meetings last December and February. The audio tape of one of those meetings was inadvertently destroyed, but the minutes are available online, according to Tisdahl.

Going forward, Tisdahl vowed that future discussions of the mansion would be public. 

“Any future uses for the Harley Clarke Mansion will be discussed by the city council in open session and community meetings will be held before any final action is taken,” she said in the letter.

The full text of the letter from Tisdahl is printed below: 

I have received your petition regarding the sale of the Harley Clarke Mansion.  The City Council has discussed the future of the building publically for the last three years and decided over two years ago to begin a process to examine other uses of the building.  The Harley Clarke Mansion has millions of dollars of deferred maintenance and the City does not have the resources to complete a renovation of the building.  After a year long public process to receive qualifications and then proposals from potential users, the City is now in preliminary discussions with Tawani Enterprises Inc. regarding its proposal.  Those discussions include maintaining complete public access to the grounds and beach.  The City has made no decisions on price or terms of a sale of the property.  The Evanston Arts Center is in the second year of identifying a new location for its operations in order to increase its accessibility to residents and improve its facilities.  The Arts Center has always been welcome to remain in the Harley Clarke Mansion until the building is deemed unsafe, a choice they have wisely declined.

Three points in your petition require attention.  First, the City Council has discussed this project many times in open session over the years.  Minutes and video from those discussions are available on our website.  A recording of one executive session held by the City Council’s Human Services Committee on February 4, 2013 was inadvertently not saved.  The written minutes of that meeting are available online here:   http://www.cityofevanston.org/assets/February%204%202013%20-%20HS.pdf  The petition also states incorrectly that the Evanston Zoning Board has voted against the sale.  There has been no formal consideration of a specific proposal on the property by the Zoning Board or any other legislative body in the City of Evanston.  The Mayor has no vote on the issue unless required to break a tie.

Any future uses for the Harley Clarke Mansion will be discussed by the City Council in open session and community meetings will be held before any final action is taken.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Tisdahl