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Residents ask Evanston committee to pause sale of city lot, propose community garden for Lydia Center
Summary
Residents urged the Administration and Public Works Committee to delay approving a sale of a small city-owned lot at 1101 Washington Street and asked the new Urban Design Committee to study converting the parcel into an educational pollinator garden to serve the Lydia Center and nearby parish and school programs.
Residents and neighbors urged the City of Evanston’s Administration and Public Works Committee to delay disposition of a small city-owned lot at 1101 Washington Street and consider converting the parcel into a community garden to benefit children at the Lydia Center and neighborhood families.
Chelsea Elward, a longtime resident, told the committee she had proposed a garden and said she and neighbors could create “a magical” space for children who live at the Lydia Center. Beth Cerny, reading a letter from Alisa Garcia, wrote that the Lydia Center “houses a residential trauma treatment program for up to 39 youth in foster care between the ages of 6 and 17,” and that a community garden could connect those young people with neighbors, Saint Nicholas Church attendees and students at the Rice Center Education program operated by District 65.
The residents asked that the city’s newly formed Urban Design Committee review the property and determine the best public use for the block. Speakers noted there are about 15 mature trees on the city parcel and asked the city to preserve them and design an “educational urban pollinating park” for use by the Lydia Center’s residents and about 50 children on the block who attend Pope John and Saint Nicholas programs. The letter read by Cerny said residents have contacted Alderman Harry Carey and Sarah Flax and that Carey and Flax had agreed to meet the residents on Wednesday, April 2 at 1 p.m.; the petitioners asked the city to wait on a final decision until after that meeting.
Tom Doyle and Diane Doyle, both identified in public comment, also urged the committee to preserve the lot as green space and argued the neighborhood was not consulted before a sale was proposed. Diane Doyle said that while a garden could later be turned into a house, “you will rarely turn a house into a garden,” urging the committee to “measure twice before you cut.”
Committee members did not vote on the disposition during the meeting. Committee chair noted that public comment items would be available again at the full City Council meeting, where the issue will be before the full council.
The committee moved on to other agenda items after public comment ended; no formal action on the lot was recorded in this meeting’s minutes.
