The latest on potential booze at W-R
- Thread starter its_the_sauce
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I get the NIMBY reaction.
But selling booze for a couple of hours inside the arena won't cause destruction to the neighborhood.
It's extremely common in Evanston...which is a bit strange to me, since you should kind of know what you're getting into when you are moving this close to a college / arena...
I remember a few years ago, where the new Dave's is now on Noyes, there was a burger place that applied for a license to sell craft beer. The surrounding area is overwhelmingly student apartments. People from other parts of town came in droves to complain about how much it was going to degrade their lives from "all the drunken debauchery"
I think this could be a bit more complicated than liquor.
Evanston has the lowest percentage of taxed land of any municipality in the U.S. This is primarily due to NU and why my taxes are high.
While NU throws Evanston bones now and then, Evanston will concede to NU nothing unless it gets its ounce of flesh.
So, one might think Welsh Ryan liquor sales is good for Evanston because it'll get the tax revenue. Evanston sees it as 1.) connected to other disputes, and 2.) only good if Evanston gets the tax revenue + substantial other concessions.
It will be this way forever.
Evanston has the lowest percentage of taxed land of any municipality in the U.S. This is primarily due to NU and why my taxes are high.
While NU throws Evanston bones now and then, Evanston will concede to NU nothing unless it gets its ounce of flesh.
So, one might think Welsh Ryan liquor sales is good for Evanston because it'll get the tax revenue. Evanston sees it as 1.) connected to other disputes, and 2.) only good if Evanston gets the tax revenue + substantial other concessions.
It will be this way forever.
I get the neighbors seeing a slippery slope here (open bar at Ryan Field 6 or 7 Saturdays a year) and I think they are owed clarification on what NU intends to do with Welsh-Ryan before committing to sell alcohol there. But whenever I want to be sympathetic I realize these neighbors are the ones who argued to have parking prohibited on 6 days a year for football games for really no good reason when I can promise you not one of them purchased their home without full knowledge there was a football stadium and basketball arena in the neighborhood.
They also complained about the "rowdy crowd" that attended a tennis tournament at McGaw years ago. They sound a lot like the those folks who bought homes near O'Hare and complain about the airplane noise.
Medill is so right.
And now we have liquor as the dispute du jour.
But Evanston is so stupid (And I'm not saying NU isn't). Just tax the hell out of each drink, give NU what it wants and take advantage.
Did the tennis tournament happen at WRA? My recollection is that residents complained there would be a 'rowdy crowd' and Evanston didn't give approval for the tournament.
I've lived in Evanston essentially my whole life and I think Medill is spot on. But if Evanston gets enough money out of a liquor deal then I think it still happens.
Yes , thinking it was one day affair and then after the NIMBY crowd complained, Evanston blocked any further professional events for taking place at McGaw Hall.
They also barred Col Pritzker from buying the Harley Clark mansion on the lake....pouring millions into it as she's done other Evanston property....and turning it into a tax generating boutique hotel.
And so it sits empty on the lake years later, rotting and generating no tax revenue.
Meanwhile, the City holds public brainstorming events for people to come and share ideas about what can be done with the property.
I'm trying to get the fear beyond the reflexive town-gown stuff. It's not like football Saturdays where everyone drinks at tailgates and you can leave your house early if it bothers you. But what's the worst-case scenario if people can have 2-3 beers on a weeknight? Are they really going to wander into neighborhoods at 10 p.m. on a Wednesday and cause a ruckus?
Not in January or February......will need more than 1.5C warming to make that tolerable.