Highland Park to negotiate special license with Ravinia Festival, council presses on term and lighting

On April 13, 2026, Highland Park staff told the Committee of the Whole they will negotiate a stand‑alone special license agreement with Ravinia Festival to decouple day‑to‑day operational permissions in the public right‑of‑way from the festival’s development agreement.

Megan (city staff) told the committee that the development agreement approved in 2006 — amended several times, most recently in 2024 — grants Ravinia non‑exclusive use of a strip of public right‑of‑way including the Green Bay Trail entry plaza. Staff proposed moving operational items (signage, restricted non‑motorized traffic during operations, smoking/refuse areas, security cameras and maintenance responsibilities) into a separate special license agreement while keeping the development agreement for zoning and major development matters.

The presentation reported that Ravinia pays a municipal admissions fee in lieu of an amusement tax (5% of gross admissions), generating roughly $800,000–$1 million annually for the city; staff said Ravinia paid $1,011,334 to Highland Park in 2025. Staff also told council the special license would impose no new direct city costs because Ravinia already covers police, fire, traffic management and transit costs tied to festival operations.

New items staff recommended include assigning routine maintenance and restoration responsibility to Ravinia for the special license area, permitting security cameras (with city review), and an infrastructure request to pave roughly 713 ft of gravel on the Green Bay Trail with a 6‑ft asphalt strip to stabilize patron flow near bus drop‑offs. Megan said the license as drafted would extend non‑exclusive use in perpetuity but allow the city to terminate with six months’ notice or sooner for emergencies.

Council members supported separating operational details from the development agreement but raised several concerns. Councilmember Tapia asked whether the plan would prohibit bicycles in the right‑of‑way; Ravinia’s operations director Jim Schmets said the practice is to briefly hold pedestrian and bicycle traffic during busy ingress so patrons who have been screened can cross safely — “not a permanent closure,” he said. Several council members objected to language granting rights “in perpetuity” and asked staff to present options that are coterminous with the development agreement or that include periodic review. Corporation Counsel explained development agreements generally have revocation clauses for violations and staff said they would return with options on termination language.

The council also asked staff to consider lighting and safety along the walking route beyond the license area; staff said lighting had been explored previously as a capital project but was not funded and that the capital plan or a separate collaboration with Ravinia could address lighting and broader pathway improvements.

Staff will draft the special license agreement and an amendment to the development agreement for a future city council agenda, revisit the term/termination language and provide options on lighting and seasonal signage. No final contract or ordinance was adopted at the Committee of the Whole meeting.