Northwestern gets green light from city council to build new Ryan Field

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern got the green light to build a new Ryan Field Monday night after lengthy discussions with residents about how many concerts the football stadium would host.

The Evanston, Illinois City Council voted in favor of the project and approved a rezoning request to allow six concerts per year in addition to other events.

“This decision marks a pivotal moment for Northwestern and the City of Evanston,” said Dave Davis, Northwestern’s senior executive director of neighborhood and community relations. “We are embarking on a journey that promises not only a state-of-the-art stadium, but also a beacon of cultural and economic vitality. This project demonstrates our shared vision of progress and prosperity.

The new stadium to be built on the site of 97-year-old Ryan Field is part of a $480 million gift from the family of Patrick and Shirley Ryan, the largest in school history . Part of this money is also used to finance university projects.

The school said the stadium would have a capacity of 35,000, up 12,000 seats from the current Ryan Field, and would feature a canopy designed to keep noise and light focused on the field. It would feature state-of-the-art technology and dashboards, as well as concessions with food from local restaurants, and achieve LEED Gold certification.

Northwestern has not announced where the football team will play during construction of the new stadium. The school said “next steps” would be announced “at a later date.”

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