1995-2019 Golf Course Parking & Tailgating

Evanston Golf Course issues are not new.

• 1979 4th of July Letters

The August 31, 1995 City Council Memorandum scheduled for Committee Consideration at the September 5, 1995 Committee Administration and Public Works included the following statement re. golf course parking

"As you know, the golf course board elected not to allow parking on the course this year. Northwestern has secured 600 replacement spaces within walking distance to the stadium in the 1000 Central Medical Building garage and in the lot at the COS building."

See also:

• Shuttle Issues

A 2011 article in the on-line publication Evanston Now

Game day parking on golf course expanded

Evanston Now – Bill Smith

July 20, 2011

Evanston aldermen this week approved plans to expand parking for Northwestern football games on the Frank Govern golf course to a fourth hole this year, despite complaints from some nearby residents.

The expansion would add parking on the 10th hole, across Bryant Street from the Evanston Terraces condominium development at 1201-1229 Central St.

Debbie Weixl, a condo resident, said she'd heard horror stories from long-time residents of the complex about bad behavior by football fans when parking was permitted there in the past.

But Alderman Jane Grover, whose 7th Ward includes the stadium neighborhood, said the neighbors' concerns would be addressed in negotiating the agreement on the parking expansion among the university, the golf association and the city.

She said increased attendance at football games in recent years has generated more ticket tax revenue for the city and the golf course needs the extra revenue from parking to help offset declining golf revenues that have left it with unpaid water bills to Evanston and Wilmette.

Parks Director Doug Gaynor said parking on the golf course would be limited to season ticket holders so that the city and university would be able to track and penalize any misbehavior.

Tailgating, with consumption of alcohol, would be limited to the 17th and 18th holes and barred on the 9th and 10th holes.

Below see Carrie Von Hoff's email to the City. She also spoke at the October 28 City Council meeting, bringing up the Golf Course issue.

2019 October 28 City Council

Date: October 2, 2019

Subject: Objection to U2 Zoning Amendment - for inclusion in packet

Mayor Hagerty, Clerk Reid, and Members of the City Council:

Several years ago, Northwestern University piloted football parking on the greens of Canal Shores Golf Course by Bryant Avenue. When neighbors expressed concern about the idea and suggested the problems that would result from tailgating at the course in a residential neighborhood, NU assured us there were no plans to allow tailgates at Canal Shores. Three years ago, despite those assurances, tailgating began; Northwestern said, "Let's see how it goes." Now, tailgating on the greens is established and expanded, despite feedback from neighbors that things were not going well. Garbage on the streets and parkways, disorderly conduct, and reckless driving are now a regular gameday occurrences on a small residential street with many young children.

Situations such as this embody the reasons why many people in the neighborhood, such as my family, are opposed to the NU zoning text amendment that would allow professional events to take place at the athletic complex. In my 15 years living in the neighborhood, when given an inch and saying they will go no further, NU has taken a mile and used the inch as precedent to take the mile. The fact that NU said they would not do something (tailgate) and then did it only a few years later makes many neighbors very skeptical of the assurances NU has given about expanding to professional events at the stadium. They have not acted as a trustworthy neighbor and are now seeking a privilege, unearned, that has significant potential to change the neighborhood by bringing additional events into the athletic complex. What has happened at the tailgates seems like only a prelude to what will come if the City Council approves the text amendment. Guests of the university use a residential neighborhood as a personal playground with no regard to the safety, cleanliness and quiet of the neighborhood. We moved to and accepted the risk of the 6 football games a year when we bought our home. We did not bargain for the additional items and events that have been added on since then.

I have been a resident of Evanston for the better part of the last 25 years and a proud Northwestern alumna for nearly 20 years. I am very disappointed in Northwestern's actions seeking the amendment. I strongly urge the Council to reject the amendment when it is presented.

Sincerely,

Carrie Von Hoff