While the brand new Ryan Field slowly rises on Central Street over the following couple of years, Northwestern is contemplating considered one of its current lakefront athletic fields as a possible web site to quickly host smaller-capability dwelling football video games.
On Tuesday, the college submitted an utility for a zoning evaluation to town regarding Martin Stadium at 2235 Campus Drive, metropolis spokesperson Cynthia Vargas confirmed to the RoundTable by way of an e mail Thursday night. The information was first reported via X (previously Twitter) by WGN reporter Mike Lowe.
Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, which has a small grandstand on the west facet of the sector, at present serves as dwelling turf for Northwestern’s males’s and girls’s soccer groups and girls’s lacrosse group, and sits about 100 toes west of Lake Michigan.
Vargas wrote that the proposed temporary amenities would accommodate as much as 15,000 spectators and all recreation-day operations, and town’s evaluation will decide whether or not these constructions would meet parking, peak and setback necessities for the college’s U3 zoning district.
“The review should be finalized by next week and will likely comply with zoning requirements based on a high-level review,” Vargas wrote. “Following the use determination, Northwestern will need to apply for building and associated permits to authorize the construction of the temporary improvements.”
Joint enterprise Turner-Walsh Construction, additionally referred to as the Central Street Consortium, started demolition of the prevailing Ryan Field on Feb. 12. According to town’s weekly zoning stories, Northwestern’s Feb. 23 allow utility to put the brand new stadium’s basis is awaiting evaluate by metropolis employees. The college has stated it plans to finish building and host video games within the new Ryan Field by fall 2026.
“As this process continues to evolve, the City will ensure robust communication and coordination with the City Council and the community,” Vargas wrote on the finish of her e mail.
Council Member Eleanor Revelle (seventh Ward) and Northwestern spokespeople Jon Yates and Dave Davis didn’t instantly reply to emailed requests for remark.