Ryan Field meeting pits Northwestern University supporters vs. opponents of football stadium rebuild

Northwestern University’s proposed $800 million rebuild of its nearly 100-year-old Ryan Field in Evanston has finally reached the city’s Land Use Commission after neighboring residents have voiced objections for months regarding plans to also use the field as a concert venue.

The audience at the commission’s meeting, which ran from 7 p.m. to midnight Wednesday, filled the meeting room at the Morton Civic Center, requiring the city to open additional rooms for spillover attendance.

Representatives from the university outlined their plan through scores of experts in architecture, traffic, concert planning and more.

“Commissioners, what we have here is a severely underutilized asset. We use Ryan Field just 2% of the year. That’s it,” said Dave Davis, Northwestern’s executive director of neighborhood and community relations. “Imagine owning a car and leaving it in your garage for 98% of the year.”

He argued the university hosts many large sporting events at both Ryan Field and Welsh-Ryan Arena, including busing for attendees, proving the university’s track record of handling high attendance events.

Consultant Michael Godoy, senior director of the sports management firm CAA ICON, was brought in by Northwestern and told the commission the size of the field and its construction wouldn’t allow for large mega concerts such as those booked at Soldier Field or Wrigley Field. Performers at Ryan Field would be “escalator acts,” which he described as those whose stardom is rising or falling, and wouldn’t include big acts such as Taylor Swift.

Land Use Commissioner George Halik pushed back, saying it isn’t about who is performing at the venue but the fact that 28,500 people could be coming into a neighborhood of people who didn’t sign up to live outside a concert venue.

“I think one of the issues is the size. You compare your 28,500 with United Center which is 23,000 and Allstate which is I think 18,000. That’s quite a bit bigger than those stadiums and I think the neighbors are thinking ‘Do we want a United Center in our neighborhood next to our houses?’” Halik said. “A smaller venue, I think people would be more open to.”

Land Use Commission Chair Matt Rodgers questioned whether the field rebuild could be viable without hosting concerts, since one option before the commission is to recommend the rebuild but not permit concerts on site.

Luke Figora, Northwestern University vice president and chief operating officer, estimated it would cost about $3 million a year for upkeep of the field and the six football games scheduled would not bring in sufficient funds to cover that.

“The reason that this is on our doorsteps, Northwestern and the city as well, is because of a gift,” Figora said. “We’ve talked in the past also about making sure that whatever we build here is sustainable into the long run. We don’t want the stadium to look the way current Ryan Field does today ... the stadium is not in great shape and we know that.”

Halik questioned the reasoning, saying the university has changed the number of concerts needed to make the stadium viable from 12 when it was initially pitched, to 10, and now six, after continued pushback from residents.

Peter Lemmon, a Northwestern transportation engineer, told commissioners shuttle buses would be used to help bring ticket holders from downtown Evanston and university parking lots to Ryan Field to accommodate the extra parking that would be needed beyond the planned 1,408 presold, on-site parking spots. Twelve manually controlled intersections along with police presence and public transportation via the CTA Purple Line would also help minimize traffic, according to Lemmon.

Eight groups petitioned the Land Use Commission to present their thoughts concerning the field rebuild and usage. One such group was the village of Wilmette, whose Village President Senta Plunkett, alongside Trustee Gerry Smith, asked the commission to recommend against the use of Ryan Field as a commercial space saying the proposed venue would be among the four largest concert venues in the state. Wilmette residents, in a single-family home neighborhood, live immediately adjacent to Northwestern’s sports complex, which includes Ryan Field.

“While the applicant has recently reduced the number of proposed concerts from 10 to six, the village of Wilmette remains steadfast in its opposition to any number of concerts in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” Plunkett said. “The reduction in concerts does not change the very real and very significant impacts concerts of this magnitude will have upon both of our communities.”

Others presenting in opposition to the proposed plan included the Central Street Neighbors Association, Most Livable City Association, the Community Alliance for Better Government and Wilmette resident Steven Harper.

Those who spoke in favor of the plan included Evanston-based grassroots group Field of Opportunities, helmed by Jane Grover, a former 7th Ward Alderman and member of the Evanston Equity and Empowerment Commission. She compared those living in the area of Ryan Field to those in the 5th Ward who are subject to the noise from Evanston Township High School football games.

“I’m not sure when any sound after dark became poison,” Field of Opportunities member Mike O’Connor said. “Personally, I look forward to enjoying these shows right from my yard. Music isn’t pollution, it’s sound for the soul.”

Some nearby neighbors of Ryan Field spoke in favor of the plan. Peggy Baxter commented that fun and safety can go hand in hand.

Garrett Karp, executive director of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce, said there has been almost universal support from the nearly 350 businesses represented by the chamber.

The discussion will continue at the Sept. 27 Land Use Commission meeting with representatives from the Most Livable City Association and Steven Harper being given 30 minutes each to present and cross-examine university experts. Six other continuances were granted at 10 minutes each. Public comment will begin the Sept. 27 meeting with Chair Rodgers saying he expects a third meeting to be needed for deliberation by the commission on Oct. 11.

The commission’s decision will then be sent along to Evanston City Council for consideration.