Dive Brief:

• The Chicago City Council has voted to allow filmmaker George Lucas to proceed with his plan to build the $400 million George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art along Lake Michigan, the Associated Press reported.
• The "Star Wars" director's 300,000-square-foot museum will house memorabilia and costumes from the iconic film series, as well as other films, including the "Indiana Jones" franchise. The museum, slated to begin construction next spring and open in 2019, will also include three event auditoriums and pieces from Lucas' personal art collection.
• The city council's vote does not prevent a Friends of the Park lawsuit from going forward with its next hearing on Nov. 10. The Chicago nonprofit is suing to stop the project and argues the city has a responsibility to preserve and maintain public access to the site, which is designated state public trust property.

Dive Insight:

Lucas' selection of Chicago as the site for the museum is a victory for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who quickly put a museum deal together. San Francisco, Lucas' first choice for a museum, fell from favor when it could not reach a timely agreement on a plan.

However, no one can be sure, even with City Council support, that the museum project will go forward until after the Friends of the Park lawsuit is settled.

The group's complaint centers around the $10, 99-year ground lease agreement between the museum and the Chicago Park District, which, according to the nonprofit, "would authorize the construction of a museum that would preclude the use of the trust property as free and open space with access to the activities on Lake Michigan."

As to the lawsuit, Emanuel said, "We have taken our step forward and we're going to continue to do what we're going to do."