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	Evanston builds on Chicago ties The Chicago Tribune 09/12/2001 As Evanston transforms 23 acres of its downtown with new high-rise condominiums, shopping, hotels and entertainment outlets, observers say the time is right for the city to reap the advantages of its proximity to Chicago and easy access to mass transit. Condominium developers are wooing young couples and empty-nesters by promising a hybrid urban suburban setting where housing - while not cheap - remains less expensive than in much of Chicago. City officials also are aggressively promoting their desire for a 24-hour downtown. An 18-screen theater that opened last year has attracted crowds, which officials hope will prompt small businesses to extend their hours into the evening. It's all about the train lines," said Ald. Art Newman. "Have you seen what they charge for parking in downtown Chicago? People are looking for close proximity." Evanston is following in the steps of cities nationwide that have rejuvenated their downtowns, with local examples including Arlington Heights, Highland Park, Elmhurst, and Tinley Park. Officials believe the effort is paying off in Evanston, where the downtown that generated $300,000 in property taxes in 1984 is expected to pull in more than $2 million this year. Planners said the city has wisely developed the areas surrounding its mass transit sites, particularly where it draws near residents. A lot of times communities will think, 'Boy, let's rehab our Metra station,' but they don't bring any magnets near the train station to draw anyone else," said MarySue Barrett, executive director of the Metropolitan Planning Council. "You have to have enough riders living nearby and you have to have destinations like shopping, services, and in this case the movie theater element, which is not unusual." For longtime residents the projects have drawn mixed reviews. Some are happy to see the new development but are skeptical about it easing their ever-growing tax bills. Tax increment financing districts are helping the projects pay for themselves, but it will be 2010 before taxing bodies such as the school districts collect any of the revenue. Some residents also fear some of Evanston's charm will be lost if national chains force out the eclectic specialty shops downtown. "I feel it's a good thing for the area, as long as we keep the small shops alive," said Arlene Brumlik, who for 30 years has operated the antique store Another Place, Another Time on Chicago Avenue. "That's what makes Evanston different from an Old Orchard or any other large shopping center." She has a prime view of condominiums going up across the street. The construction, she said, shakes her building and has hurt business since May. Still, she said, the condominiums mark an improvement over a carwash that sat on the lot, drawing lines of honking vehicles every day. The condominiums, called Chicago Avenue Place, have sold 68 of the 156 units still under construction, with the first owners set to move in next month, developer Thomas Roszak said. They are priced from $180,000 to $800,000, and so far half the buyers are from Evanston. Elsewhere downtown looming cranes, clouds of dust and the drone of machinery serve as a common backdrop for pedestrians strolling along newly installed brick walkways. The Sherman Plaza Venture - bounded by Sherman and Benson Avenues and Church and Davis Streets - is undergoing construction as a four-level complex that will carry retail, a 250,000-square-foot health club and 200 condominiums. "The space will fill up because you have a critical mass of downtown activity," said Sherman Plaza developer James Klutznick. "As it builds up, it feeds on itself. People want depth and variety. Certainly now Evanston has that. It's always had that in dining. Now the movie theaters help draw a lot of people in. I have a lot of friends who live up and down the lakefront who are rediscovering Evanston." That was the case for Sheri and Markus Lechleitner; who live in Chicago's Gold Coast community and are awaiting the completion of the Optima Inc. condominium they bought in Evanston. "We got more for our money," said Sheri Lechleitner, 33, associate director of catering at Drake Hotel in Chicago. The couple purchased a unit on the 7th floor of a 13-floor building at Sherman Avenue and Davis Street, one block away from the CTA and Metra train stations. "We have the ease of transportation, the culture, the lakefront," she said. "Plus we wanted a place where we could walk everywhere. We don't have a car." Others are wary, mindful of economic downturns that saw companies including Marshall Field's and Washington National Insurance Co. leave Evanston in the 1980's and 90's. The city recently dissolved a partnership with Northwestern University, scaling back a plan to build a research park. Today some new retail space remains vacant, perhaps because of the latest economic downswing, said Judity Aiello, assistant city manager. The city, awaiting the completion of a transit study, also recognizes it will have to improve some transportation services to accommodate changing needs. Meanwhile, property values in some sections of Evanston have soared, with median value of single-family residences rising 32 percent since the last reassessment, according to the Cook County assessor's office. City officials are quick to point out that tax caps will prevent taxes from rising too high, but they acknowledge residents on fixed incomes could be struggling to pay their bills. "Evanston is different than it was 10 years ago, and that is difficult for some people," Aiello said. Roszak/ADC 1415 Sherman Avenue Suite 101 Evanston, IL 60201 Main  847-425-7555 Sales  847-328-8200 Fax  847-425-7540 email inquiries: info@roszakadc.com copyright© 2003 Roszak/ADC. All rights reserved.