UPDATE: Wrigley Field’s $500M Renovation Passes Chicago City Council

By Andy Ambrosius

Chicago City Council has approved the proposed $500 million redevelopment of Wrigley Field and the surrounding neighborhood Wednesday, Crain’s Chicago Business reports.

The decision comes not 24-hours after being given the green light by the Chicago Zoning Committee. The Chicago Cubs can now begin a 5-year renovation of the ballpark, along with constructing an adjacent hotel, office building and plaza, among other amenities.

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel were in talks Monday and Tuesday over the framework of the project, eventually forcing the Cubs to compromise on a few community sticking points.

The patio overlooking Patterson Avenue was deferred indefinitely, as was the bridge over Clark Street between the soon-to-be hotel and office buildings. And while the project was approved by City Council, both the hotel’s contested entrance and the team’s plan to push the ballpark’s walls out toward Sheffield Avenue will still be ironed out.

Part of the eleventh-hour deal also includes the Cubs agreeing to refrain from adding additional outfield signage for the next 10 years as long as the Wrigley rooftop owners don’t take the team to court to delay construction.

And according to Cubs Charman Tom Ricketts, the Cubs are still evaluating an alternative to the bridge over Clark Street, like an arch over the road to support advertising. The same goes for the portico over Patterson.

"We look forward to beginning construction on our $500 million plan, but before we do, we must resolve once and for all the threat of litigation and the enforcement of existing rooftop ordinances and long term certainty over control of our outfield," Ricketts said in a statement. "We also look forward to discussing with Ald. Tunney potential alternatives to the Clark Street bridge and the hotel portico."

While Tunney spoke heatedly at the City Council meeting, he released a public statement following the vote thanking Emanuel, Tom Ricketts and the Cubs for working with him and the neighborhood during negotiations. 

"My overall goal from the outset was to improve the Lakeview community while also providing the Cubs with the confidence to commit to the citizens of Chicago that Lakeview is their home for the next 100 years," Tunney said in a statement.

"My sworn obligation is to act in the best interest of my entire Ward which includes not only the Cubs, but also the residents and small businesses that surround Wrigley Field," he continued. "I feel that I have done that and am proud of what we all have accomplished working together understanding that compromise is a part of all negotiations."

Editor's Note: This article was updated with a new statement form Ald. Tom Tunney.