Cubs, city near deal on Wrigley expansion

By Gary Washburn

Published February 17, 2005

City Council consideration of a plan to expand Wrigley Field's bleachers, settle a legal question on the ownership of land adjacent to the park and develop a commercial complex on the parcel is expected by spring, and construction could start after the upcoming baseball season, Ald. Thomas Tunney (44th) said Wednesday.

"It's a good compromise," said Tunney, who represents the area around the park. "It moves the Cubs forward" and provides benefits to the community, he said.

"We are still talking to the Cubs," said Connie Buscemi, a spokeswoman for the city's planning department. "Nothing has been finalized yet, but we are very close to reaching an agreement."

Under the proposed accord, the Cubs would add 1,790 seats to the bleachers, purchasing 8 feet of sidewalk bordering Waveland and Sheffield Avenues to make way for the expansion.

The team also would buy land just west of Wrigley from the city. A new five-story building containing a museum, a multilevel restaurant and a parking garage for about 400 cars would be built on the site.

In return, the Cubs would pay $2.2 million for that property and another $900,000 for the sidewalk area and would fund neighborhood improvements. Among them would be the conversion of a parking lot at Blaine School, 1420 W. Grace St., into a campus park at a cost of at least $250,000, and the installation of a $400,000 traffic signal system at Clark Street and Waveland Avenue.

Wrigley Field and the Cubs are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

The Cubs "are screaming about a couple of the numbers, but if this is what we present to the community as a tentative plan and see exactly what community feedback is on it, I think they are willing to support it," Tunney said.

"What has been asked of the Cubs would [represent] unprecedented cooperation between the Cubs and the city and our community," said Michael Lufrano, the team's vice president of community affairs. "Keep in mind we are spending $40 million to cement the future of Wrigley Field" with new construction and renovations.

Although the team has not signed off yet on every element of the proposed agreement, Lufrano agreed that "we are very close to moving forward after a four-year process."

The team unveiled its original expansion proposal in June 2001. Under that plan, which created heated debate, the bleachers would have been expanded by 2,100 seats in an addition that would have extended over the Waveland and Sheffield sidewalks, creating a tunnellike effect.

In the meantime, the City Council approved landmark status for the ballpark, which gave City Hall new controls over the design of the bleachers. Officials insisted that the height of the exterior walls bordering Waveland and Sheffield not compromise the view of the surrounding neighborhood for most of the fans inside the park.

The design underwent several proposed changes, and the most recent version has been tweaked in recent weeks to pass city muster.

The expanded bleachers would affect the views from some of the rooftop businesses bordering Wrigley.

"If the expansion has to go forward, we hope everybody remains in business and they do a good job of it," said Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bleachers and operator of one of the rooftop venues.

"The plans they showed us look better than they have [in the past], but many of us are affected by it, and it is always a concern. I think they are trying to make the expansion better for all of us, but I think there is still work that can be done" to preserve views, Murphy said.

Under an agreement with the owners, the Cubs would fund a portion of the cost of modifications--raising heights of their seating--to restore lost sightlines to the field.

"We've been working hard with the rooftops, and we think the current design allows all the rooftops to remain viable businesses," Lufrano said.

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