Evanston city councilors plan to consider Ald’s proposal on Monday. Devon Reid (No. 8) banned trucks from the street leading to a long-standing local business.
Reid’s plan would ban trucks from the four streets surrounding the Clesen Wholesale Nursery at 316 Florence Avenue.
Neighbors had complained about trucks picking up and delivering at the company earlier this year.
Neighbors claimed trucks blocked driveways, crashed, used the street for storage and loading and worked overnight.
The business dates back to 1941 and appears to be the last of several greenhouse businesses that once spread throughout this part of the city.
Last spring, city parking officials proposed several measures to address the traffic problem. From the information in the council information pack on Monday, it was unclear whether the changes had been implemented or how effective they would be.
Deputies met with business owner Tom Clarkson in June, and he agreed to take several steps to address the issues, according to a memo from the police department.
Clayson also told police that the traffic problems mainly occurred in May and early June, which is the busiest time of year for business.
A city staff memo on Reed’s proposal suggests that it won’t actually be effective in reducing traffic to the greenhouse — because another provision of the city code allows trucks to use restricted streets if that’s the only way to get to their final destination.
That has raised concerns in the city’s legal department that Clayson could sue the city for a reverse censure if the restriction is effective — since the restriction effectively amounts to the city depriving the property of its current commercial value.