>> EVANSTON RESIDENTS ARE GETTING A NEW NEIGHBOR AND 800 MILLION DOLLAR REBUILT RYAN FIELD.

EVANSTON CITY COUNCIL VOTED YES ON THE FIELD REVAMP AND ON A CONTROVERSIAL ZONING CHANGE TO ALLOW CONCERT.

MAYOR DANIEL BISS CAST THE TIE BREAKING VOTE IN FAVOR OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY'S PITCH AND EVANSTON MAYOR DANIEL BISS JOINS US NOW.

WELCOME BACK.

MAYOR, GOOD TO SEE GOOD TO SEE SO YOU TODAY SENT A 2400 WORD LETTER TO RESIDENTS EXPLAINING YOUR DECISION-MAKING PROCESS.

I DID READ EVERY WORD.

WHY DID YOU FEEL THE NEED TO EXPLAIN THAT PROCESS IN SUCH DETAIL?

>> THIS WAS A CONTROVERSIAL DECISION.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE A LOT OF OPINIONS ABOUT.

WE HEARD FROM MANY, MANY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ON ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUE.

AND I JUST FELT THAT I OWED IT TO PEOPLE TO EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS THAT I BROUGHT TO BEAR BEFORE MAKING A DECISION.

ULTIMATELY, I FELT THIS WAS A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMUNITY TO HAVE A ENORMOUS INVESTMENT IN THE STATE OF THE ART FACILITY TO HAVE CULTURAL EVENTS THAT WILL BRING PEOPLE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND FUNDAMENTALLY TO RESTRUCTURE THE FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NORTHWESTERN CITY EVANSTON WITH THE HISTORIC NEW LEVEL OF SUPPORT.

WELL, OVER 100 MILLION DOLLARS.

SO LET'S GET INTO SOME OF THAT CONTROVERSY TO CONTROVERSY.

ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARTS WAS THE ZONING CHANGE FOR THE 6 CONCERT.

WHY VOTE TO ALLOW THE CONCERTS?

BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE YOU KNOW, THEY CAN GET BUILT WITHOUT THE CONCERTS.

>> AND THAT THE THE ASSERTION TO THE CONTRARY, AS NORTHWESTERN HAD SAID, THAT THEY COULDN'T GO FORWARD WITHOUT THE CONCERTS THAT THAT WAS A BLUFF.

WELL, ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT BUT YES, SOME PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT THE CONCERTS WOULD BE WONDERFUL BRING PEOPLE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM SMALL BUSINESSES WHO >> FELT LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, IN THE WAKE OF THE PANDEMIC, THE LAST OFFICE WORKERS IN OFFICE BUILDINGS THAT WE NEED CUSTOMERS WHICH WILL COME FROM PEOPLE COMING TO TOWN FOR OTHER REASONS.

THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED.

FELT LIKE THERE WOULD BE TOO MUCH TRAFFIC, TOO MUCH NOISE, TOO MUCH IMPACT ON A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND SO THROUGH VERY, VERY LENGTHY NEGOTIATION HAVE TO SAY THE CITY OF EVANSTON DROVE A VERY HARD BARGAIN.

WE MERELY THE SCOPE.

WE BROUGHT THE REQUEST ON CONCERTS FROM 15 DOWN TO 6.

WE PUT IN PLACE.

GUARDRAILS WERE PUT IN PLACE.

SIGNIFICANT FINDS OF NORTHWESTERN DOESN'T MEET THE THEIR TARGETS ON THINGS LIKE NOISE AND CURFEW AND TRAFFIC.

AND SO WITH ALL OF THOSE PROTECTIONS IN PLACE, I FELT LIKE, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD, HAPPY MEDIUM AND WE CAN THEN USE IT TO BRING IN PEOPLE TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO IMPROVE OUR SMALL BUSINESS CLIMATE AND BRING AWFUL LOT OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM NORTHWESTERN DIRECTLY INTO EVANSTON.

>> ANOTHER POINT OF CONTROVERSY WAS THE AMENDMENT ALLOWING THE UNIVERSITY TO AMEND THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT THE CITY PLACES WHERE QUOTE, UNREASONABLE RESTRAINTS ON ITS ABILITY TO HOLD CONCERTS, WHAT ARE UNREASONABLE RESTRAINTS?

>> WELL, SO HERE'S HERE'S THE DEAL.

THE NEGOTIATION THAT LED TO THIS HISTORIC LEVEL OF SUPPORT WAS ABOUT NOT JUST ALLOWING THEM TO BUILD THE STADIUM, BUT ALSO THE CONCERTS.

WHAT SO WHAT THEY WANTED SAY IS IF WE CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONCERTS, THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT WILL CONTINUE.

OTHERWISE, IT WON'T.

AND SO YOU MIGHT IMAGINE LIKE, LISTEN, THE CITY OF EVANSTON COULD IMPOSE A 10,000% A CONCERT TICKET TAX AND AT WILL OVERCOME TO RIGHT FIELD.

AND SO THAT WOULD BASICALLY MAKE THIS CONCERT A POSSIBLE NORTHWESTERN WANT TO SAY YOU CAN'T DO SOMETHING THAT MAKES CONCERTS IMPOSSIBLE.

ON THE OTHER HAND, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS YOU MIGHT WANT TO INCREASE THE TICKET WANT TO IMPOSE NEW RESTRICTIONS REASONABLE FINES.

IF THEY DON'T DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.

AND SO THE PURPOSE OF THIS LANGUAGE IS TO SAY WE ARE ALLOWED TO CHANGES.

THOSE CHANGES WILL NOT ENDANGER THE SUPPORT THAT CONTINUES TO COME FROM.

NORTHWESTERN LIST CHANGES ARE ON RECESS.

BUT NORTHWESTERN THINKS WE'VE MADE UNREASONABLE CHANGE, THEN HAVE TO GO LOSE THAT.

IF THEY WANT TO MAKE A CHANGE TO OUR COMMUNITY BENEFITS.

>> YOU POINT OUT YOUR STATEMENT THAT NORTHWESTERN'S LACK OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF EVANSTON HAS BEEN A POINT OF CONTENTION FOR DECADES.

BUT IT CENTERS WHILE WE'RE AT IT.

BUT YOU SAY THAT THEY'RE 157.0, 7 MILLION DOLLAR COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT REPRESENTS A NEW CHAPTER.

HOWEVER, CRITICS SAY THAT THAT CBA ONLY LAST 15 YEARS AND INSTEAD SHOULD LAST FOR THE LIFE OF THE STADIUM.

15 YEARS?

>> AS COMPROMISE, BUT I WILL TELL YOU IF YOU LOOK AROUND AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES, I THINK OF IN STONE IAN'S, INCLUDING MYSELF, HAVE BEEN FAIR TO SAY THAT HISTORICALLY NORTHWESTERN HAS NOT REALLY BEEN ON PAR WITH ITS PEER INSTITUTIONS IN TERMS OF WHAT IT DOES FOR THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE LOOKED AT OTHER AGREEMENTS AND THIS REALLY MOVES THE MUCH CLOSER TO WHAT THEIR PEER INSTITUTIONS DO.

THOSE PEER INSTITUTIONS DON'T HAVE INDEFINITE AGREEMENTS.

THEY DON'T HAVE 100 YEAR AGREEMENTS.

15 YEARS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY LONG BY THE STANDARDS OF A LOT OF OTHER UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITY BENEFITS, AGREEMENTS.

FRANKLY, IF YOU LOOK AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THOSE AGREEMENTS EXPIRE?

THEY GET RENEGOTIATED UP EVERY TIME AND SO 15 YEARS AS A LOT OF CERTAINTY FOR US, WHICH IS GOOD.

BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY IN 15 YEARS FOR US TO RENEGOTIATE AT 50 EXAMPLES THAT WE SEE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

OUR INDICATION OF WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN HERE, THAT RENEGOTIATION WILL GOOD FOR THE CITY OF EVANSTON.

>> A GROUP OF EVANSTON LAWYERS SIGNED A LETTER ARGUING A PROCEDURAL VIOLATION.

IT READS IN PART, QUOTE, THE PROCEDURAL SHORTCUT AND MANY MISSTATEMENTS IN MISS DIRECTIONS THAT HAVE CHARACTERIZED CONSIDERATION OF PLANS FOR REZONING RYAN FIELD SHOULD ALARM ALL EVANS, TONY AS LAWYERS.

HOWEVER, WE ARE ESPECIALLY CONCERNED THAT THE CONVERSATION HAS PRECEDED IT AS IF ONLY 4 OF 9 COUNCIL MEMBERS ALONG WITH THE MAYOR AMEND ZONING CODE.

EVANSTON LAW REQUIRES AT LEAST 6 VOTES TO DO THAT SEPARATELY, THE MOST LIVABLE U.S. CITY ASSOCIATION PLEDGES SOME LEGAL RECOURSE.

DO YOU THINK THIS ENTIRE AND THE VOTES THAT WERE CAST LAST NIGHT IN DECISION IS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY IS GOING TO HAVE TO DEFEND IN COURT.

>> ANYBODY'S GOT THE RIGHT TO SUE.

AND YOU JUST READ FROM PEOPLE WHO SEEM TO BE THREATENING TO SUE IN THERE.

WELCOME TO LET ME JUST BE CLEAR.

I'M SURE VIEWERS ARE NOT MOSTLY INTERESTED IN THE LONG PROCEDURAL LECTURE ABOUT EVANS, PROCESS OF PASSING ORDINANCES.

BUT HERE'S THE DEAL.

WE'VE GOT 9 PEOPLE ON CITY COUNCIL, ONE OF THEM WORKS FOR NORTHWESTERN.

SO HE FELT HE HAD A CONFLICT OF INTEREST ARE RECUSED HIMSELF THAT LEFT 8 THAT LEFT A 4, 4, TIME AND THOSE 8 AND WHAT OUR CITY CODE SAYS THAT WHEN THERE'S A TIE AMONG THE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, THE MAYOR BREAKS THAT I BROKE THAT TIES.

THIS WAS A SIMPLE MAJORITY, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD THINK OUGHT BE REQUIRED TO PASS A NEW LAW.

OUR LEGAL COUNSEL, INCLUDING ONE OF THE TOP MUNICIPAL LAW FIRMS THAT WE RETAIN TO HELP US WITH AGREES WITH THAT INTERPRETATION.

AND SO FOR SUPER PREPARED TO DEFEND >> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, MAYOR, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, AS YOU SAID, AS WE DISCUSS, THIS HAS BEEN CONTROVERSIAL.

HOW CAN THE CITY REBUILD THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNIVERSITY AND FRUSTRATED NEIGHBORS.

>> WELL, I THINK THE RUBBER NOW MEETS THE ROAD.

THERE'S GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTION.

THERE'S GOING TO BE A STADIUM.

THERE'S GOING TO BE EVENTS IN THE STADIUM AND THE UNIVERSITY NEEDS TO APPROACH ALL OF THAT IN THE SPIRIT OF PARTNERSHIP.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WE'VE ALREADY SIGNED GUARANTEES SOME OF THAT, BUT THEIR ACTIONS ARE ALSO GOING TO SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

AND I THINK ALL NEIGHBORS AND ALL RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING FOR THAT PARTNERSHIP.

I DO THINK WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED LAST NIGHT SETS THE TABLE FOR A NEW LEVEL OF PARTNERSHIP THAT'S GOING TO BE REALLY PRODUCTIVE FOR BOTH UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY.

BE OFF