EVANSTON | 708 Church St. (Fountain Square Tower) | 409 FT| 35 FLOORS

[10023]

Good job, idiots, you've managed to get a clunky tower in place of a taller, more slender tower that would have blocked less light.

[Steely Dan]

thanks for posting those images victor. this certainly appears to be a step backwards (perhaps intentional) in the design process. oh well.

[intrepidDesign]

I lived in Evanston for a year and a half, its an amazing and quaint little city, but it really could use some beautiful high rises like this (well the first design I should say). But more than anything, that city needs a better way in and out! Its a hassle to get to from any direction but south.

[NYC2ATX]

On the bright side, Evaston is still getting a new tallest building. On the other hand, it won't break into the envied 500s club. Oh well, maybe in time...it will.

I say, take the good with the bad.

[Equilibria]

As an Evanston resident, I have to say that this isn't so bad. It does fit a little better with the surroundings -- the other design would have stuck out, not that that's bad -- and it's still handsome. Frankly, it looks more Evanston-y, and while that's a bad word to some people on this board, I don't really mind. Evanston does have a more bulky style, and given that this building was never going to be the dawn of a whole bunch like it, maybe conforming a little isn't so bad.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the old design, but I still feel like this plays a little nicer with its neighbors.

That said, this will indeed make more wind tunnels and block more light than the other design ever would, so as always those NIMBY's have shot themselves straight in the foot...

[BVictor1]

http://www.evanstonnow.com/business/...al-tax-revenue

Tower would boost local tax revenue
Submitted by Bill Smith on Wed, 04/16/2008 - 7:55am


Evanston taxpayers should see nearly three times as much benefit over the next 20 years if the proposed Fountain Square tower replaces the existing 708 Church St. building.

That's the conclusion of a detailed Evanston Now comparison of the impact on local tax revenue of the proposed 38-story tower and the current two-story building on the site.

The bulk of the difference is accounted for by higher local property tax revenue from the tower.

Generally 20 percent of property tax revenue goes to the city itself, and 67 percent is split between Evanston's elementary and high school districts, with the rest going to a variety of other local taxing bodies. But for the next decade the city will collect any tax increase on this property through an existing tax increment financing district.

[Jobohimself]

NIMBYs win again?

[Jibba]

If they can seal the deal at 38 floors and 421 ft. I will still be very satisfied. It's hard to gauge my opinion of the revised design from the model that was posted, but from what I can tell it doesn't have the singular presence that the original design has (a product of the height and setbacks mainly). However, it still looks quite good and is still heads-and-shoulders (literally) above anything else in Evanston.

[spyguy]

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune....rinking-t.html

The shrinking tower of Evanston: Shorter is not better
Blair Kamin

The first version (top) of a proposed 49-story condo tower in Evanston was a bland slab--nicely proportioned, but dull against the sky. Now (bottom), chopped down to 38 stories, the skyscraper looks like it grew hips. Big, ungainly hips. The tower apparently has the same amount of profit-making square footage as before. It's just been squashed down in a transparent attempt to appease opponents who find its height objectionable. This is an exercise in political expedience, not good design.

[BVictor1]

the Projcet Has Been Tabled Until Teh Downtown Plan Goes Through

[BVictor1]

http://www.evanstonnow.com/business/...e-tower-tabled

Fountain Square tower tabled

Submitted by Bill Smith on Wed, 05/07/2008 - 10:39pm.
Evanston aldermen this evening voted to postpone a vote on the proposed Fountain Square tower project until after the Plan Commission delivers a new downotown plan to the City Council.

The action came after tower supporters on the council's Planning and Development Committee determined they lacked the six-vote super-majority needed to approve the project.

The commission is scheduled discuss the downtown plan at a meeting next Wednesday, but city Planning Director Dennis Marino told aldermen he doesn't believe they'll finish work on it until June.

The motion to table came after Alderman Melissa Wynne, 3rd Ward, a long-time opponent of the project, moved to reject the tower plan. She said the project would "explode" the zoning ordinance and that benefits the developer is offering are totally insufficient.

Her motion was seconded by Alderman Anjana Hansen, 9th Ward.

Alderman Elizabeth Tisdahl, 7th Ward, and Alderman Steve Bernstein, 4th Ward, then announced their opposition to the project -- at least in its current configuration.

Alderman Edmund Moran, 6th Ward, spoke at length in favor of the project, arguing that it will greatly ease the city's financial crisis. He then offered the motion to table, which was seconded by Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward.

Aldermen Cheryl Wollin, 1st Ward, Lionel Jean-Baptiste, 2nd Ward, and Bernstein also vote for the motion to table.

Alderman Delores Holmes, 5th Ward, who was chairing the meeting, voted against the motion to table, although she didn't indicate whether she favors or opposes the project itself.

Project developers Tim Anderson and Jim Klutznick said after the meeting that they weren't prepared to comment on the aldermen's action. The developers originally proposed a 49-story building on the site, but recently cut the height to 38 stories, while retaining the same 218 condominium units.

The revised proposal would still be the tallest building in the metro area outside Chicago's Loop, but only by three feet.

Project opponent Judy Fiske said the vote demonstrated a lack of leadership by the City Council, by handing the debate about the future of the Fountain Square block back to the Plan Commission. The commission had split 4-3 in voting to recommend the tower project to the council.

[Steely Dan]

ugh..... delay, delay, delay........

i'm almost at the point of not even caring about this project anymore. it's ok though, evanston doesn't really deserve nice things anyway.

[spyguy]

[Ch.G, Ch.G]

^ Thanks for the find, spyguy. That base reminds me of an even more conservative version of Block 37. And is it me or does the tower portion appear leaner and more elegant in the drawings than the renderings?

[Jibba]

I find the second, shorter version much more appealing than the first version if for nothing more than the fact that there is simply more design to look at. The first tall and thin tower was an awkward slab of glass and quite boring IMO. The second design's setbacks give it a more interesting and substantial presence, and they will help the design visually integrate into the surrounding area (speculatively speaking, anyway, or is this one completely dead?).

An aside: the renderings and drawings released for designs that incorporate retail space never cease to amuse me: Berrybur--LOL.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Jibba

speculatively speaking, anyway, or is this one completely dead?

it's not completely dead, but for all practical purposes it is. given the shitty economy, this one is definitely stalled for now. maybe it comes back several years down the road, but i wouldn't hold my breath.

[Steely Dan]

well, it's official, we'll never see a new chicagloand suburban tallest in evanston. however, if a developer can manage to get a 385' tower built on the fountain square block in the next real estate cycle, that would at least give evanston's skyline a nice peak and avoid the plateau effect that the NIMBY crowd was vehemently advocating for.


Aldermen back 385-foot height limit
Bill SmithThursday, Jan. 15, 2009, at 7:03 am

Evanston aldermen Monday voted to establish a 385-foot maximum height limit for the Fountain Square block downtown.

The 6-2 vote at a special Planning and Development Committee meeting came as aldermen worked their way through height limits for all of the downtown area, leaving most of them at the level proposed by the Plan Commission.

full article: http://www.evanstonnow.com/story/new...t-height-limit

[Steely Dan]

Kamin has got a piece about this project posted to his blog. the most interesting excerpt is below:

""I think we can move forward on that basis," Anderson said of the 35-story height limit. "We believe in the success of downtown Evanston. It's a good time to get the zoning approvals done and be poised and ready when the market returns."

And when might that happen? "I don't think anyone can say right now, "Anderson said. "Our best guess is that we expect, in 2010, the residential market for [areas like downtown Evanston] to come around.""

source: Evanston's proposed tall tower is in the deep freeze, too




so perhaps a glimmer of hope for this project afterall. the developers seem willing to work with the 385' height limited that's been approved by the city, so now it all rests on the economy. 2010? 2011? beyond that? who knows, but i would bet on downtown evanston eventually being able to support a project like this at some point down the line.

[photoLith]

yuk yuk yuk. Stupid NIMBY pussies. They traded a nice slender tower for a fat overweight terd. Good job Evanston NIMBY's.

[Steely Dan]

from evanstonnow.com:


Fountain Square tower plans updated
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, at 8:04 am
Bill Smith

Developers of the proposed 708 Church St. tower project reportedly have submitted new materials about the project to the city.

The Evanston Review Friday quoted the city's zoning administrator, Bill Dunkley, as saying the city had received the new materials, which were dated Thursday.

continue reading: http://www.evanstonnow.com/story/new...-plans-updated