The Great Room will remain open following a decision made Tuesday by the Evanston Zoning Board of Appeals. Despite an appeal from Evanston resident Andrea Gaines, who said the Great Room constituted an “intensification of use” of the building, the board upheld zoning administrator Bill Dunkley’s decision to approve a food service license for the Great Room located at 610 Haven Street.
The board dealt with two issues Tuesday night: whether the Great Room could continue to operate and whether the Great Room could operate at late hours. The ZBA ruled that the dining facility in the Great Room did not constitute “change in use or intensification” of the building. It also ruled that the board lacked the authority to apply a time restriction on what hours of the day the Great Room could operate.
Evanston resident Barbara Janes disagreed with the decision: “The point is 2 a.m. This is a single family neighborhood where people move to raise their families and live in a quiet environment.”
Priya Harjani, the attorney representing NU, was pleased with the decision.
“We are absolutely thrilled,” Harjani said. “We think the ZBA made the correct decision. There was no change of use and no change of intensification. I think they considered all the right issues.”