Final Vote On Ryan Field Concerts Pushed To Special Meeting

EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston City Council called a timeout on Monday's scheduled vote to grant final approval to Northwestern University's plan to redevelop its football stadium.

Mayor Daniel Biss, who two weeks ago cast the tiebreaking vote in favor of preliminary approval of the project, said he was satisfied with a revised version of a memorandum of understanding between the city and the university.

University officials have insisted the $800 million project is contingent on the City Council agreeing to rezone the area to allow them to host public facing concerts at a rebuilt, 35,000-seat stadium.

In exchange for permanently rezoning the area — and agreeing not to impose any "unreasonable restraints" on their efforts to host and promote stadium concerts on Central Street — city officials negotiated a benefits agreement, a final version of which was not distributed to councilmembers until the day of the meeting.

That agreement is worth upwards of $160 million over 15 years, depending on inflation. Some of that money had already been allocated to the city in prior years.

Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma, 4th Ward, said he was not asking for the delay to continue negotiations. The deal he voted to approve two weeks earlier was "pretty good," but the new one was "75 percent better" and now "awesome," he said.

"I haven't even had a chance to read the document yet, with negotiations going on until the last minute, working out such a good deal," Nieuwsma said. "I just want to make sure that all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed and there's no typos."

Northwestern university officials, who have said they plan to borrow money to finance the portion of the cost of the new stadium not being covered by billionaire donor Pat Ryan, are due to begin receiving $80 million to $100 million every year from a new contract to show Big Ten Conference student athletes on television.

Biss, who is positioned to cast the deciding tiebreaking vote because 9th Ward Ald. Juan Geracaris is employed by Northwestern and has recused himself, scheduled a special meeting Nov. 20 for a final vote.

Ald. Tom Suffredin, 6th Ward, who has argued that Northwestern has not offered nearly enough to justify what the city is giving them, asked Biss whether he planned to vote in favor of the project again.

"I would say, pending full detailed reading of the email we've been sent this late afternoon, my expectation is 'yes,'" Biss said.

Earlier: Evanston City Council Set For Final Ryan Field Concert Rezoning Vote