The future holds the possibility to be great or terrible, and since it has not yet occurred it remains simultaneously both.

Owning Wrigley is best option because the White Sox option is unavailable. You blindly ignore the revenue from the hotel and outside entertainment would go to the Cubs!

The benefit per Thompson of the White Sox arrangement is Illinois owns the property once the lease is done.

Until the lease is over all revenue from everything would go to the Cubs: concessions, tickets, signage, parking, etc.

You receive a token rent payment and ticket fees

As far as ballparks go, it's probably best to own them outright if you can. For multipurpose indoor arenas, the winning bet for most markets seems to be public ownership of the facility with private ownership of the master lease, where you control all the revenue streams but pay no property taxes. Montreal, largely unsympathetic to the needs of billionaires, whacks the Canadiens with enormous property taxes on the Bell Centre. Madison Square Garden is privately owned, but gets huge tax breaks from the city because Gulf+Western threatened to move the Knicks and Rangers to Jersey some 35 years ago.

No. I think they haven't hit that number about ten times since the park was built 26 years ago.

You are intentionally skewing things here.

The Sox don't get a $500 million dollar renovation either. So, the debt would be much lower.

The bottom line though, and this is something that you can't defend, is that the Cubs make MORE money owning Wrigley Field than they would playing in a city/state owned park. That is why selling Wrigley was never an option before or after the Ricketts got it and why they didn't think about moving to a city/state owned park.

They've received a $300M ballpark and another $150M in renovations so far.

They're trying to do what any rich guy does, bully their way to conditions that are favorable to them at the expense of others. I realize you're a Cub fan, but it's not really something to cheer for.

On a much smaller scale, I have dealt many times with neighbors who try to take advantage of situations with development...I've seen some pretty sleazy behavior. Fuck 'em.

It's more fun to be a victim

There will never be an effective vaccine. I'll never get one anyway.

Don't move to Wrigleyville if you don't like the noise!

There is some truth to that. However, Wrigleyville beer gardens close at 9pm on weekends, and hold a few dozen people at most. The Cubs want one that can hold a couple thousand people, and want to sell beer until midnite on weekends. Basically, they Chicago to give them a special set of rules simply because they are the Cubs.

The Cubs should be able to expand thier park...but within reason. The neighbors have a reason to get up on their hind legs.

the Cubs make MORE money owning Wrigley Field than they would playing in a city/state owned park. That is why selling Wrigley was never an option before or after the Ricketts got it and why they didn't think about moving to a city/state owned park.

From my vantage point, it has looked like the Cubs have been very open to listening to neighborhood concerns. The rooftop owners and other local businesses have lived by the Code of "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?" for forever. They have more than likely overplayed their demands of the team. Now they're taking their crying public.

On a much smaller scale, I have dealt many times with neighbors who try to take advantage of situations with development...I've seen some pretty sleazy behavior. Fuck 'em.

ALSO, Zell explored selling Wrigley to the state with Jerry prior to Ricketts buying the team, then the state could place a much higher rent on the park, thus hindering money flowing to the team and yes, Uncle Jerry was involved in those discussions. The Ricketts and other all said , take it off the table or no deal and that portion of the terms went away quickly.

The Cubs, or any other potential buyer easily could have demanded the exact same deal the Sox got and the city/state would have been happy to provide it.

Blatantly false

The Cubs, or any other potential buyer easily could have demanded the exact same deal the Sox got and the city/state would have been happy to provide it.

Yes it is.

When this is all over, which is not going to be for a while, Trump will be re-elected President.

Brick wished the Cubs ripped off all Illinois tax payers like the Sox instead of screwing wealthy bar owners in Wrigleyville!!!

It's just amazing to me that on one hand we talk about all the great revenue streams the Cubs are adding all because they own the stadium that will put them near the top of baseball in revenue and then in the same thread we get people basically saying "Damn, I wish they had the White Sox deal".

The rooftop battle is over. It's been won by the Cubs. They own about a third of them now themselves. That being the case, they suddenly want different rules for the rooftops, like real liquor licenses and outdoor patios. Funny how that works.

I don't waste my time with the Cubs.

other outdoor plazas in the city are restricted to the same hours as the Cubs are seeking

Dear Wrigley Field Neighbor,

As you may have seen in the news this week, Levy Restaurants has filed an application for an outdoor patio liquor license related to the operation of the Plaza outside Wrigley Field. This exciting step will help lead the way to the long-awaited opening of the Plaza, turning a once-abandoned area into a celebrated open space.

The Plaza is operated by Hickory Street Capital, an entity owned by the Ricketts family. More than four years ago, the Ricketts family began the process to design and develop the Plaza as an exciting year-round destination suitable for its Lakeview location near the Friendly Confines. It was designed after extensive discussions with Alderman Tunney and the community and approved as part of a Planned Development in 2013.

The Plaza offers another choice among the many options that help keep Lakeview vibrant. When allowed to operate fairly, it will be an asset to neighbors and the neighborhood. On gamedays, it is an inviting alternative for guests of all ages, including parents and families who want to be included in the atmosphere but not be in neighboring bars. On non-gamedays, it offers chef-driven restaurants, entertainment, farmers markets, an ice rink, movies and music in the park and other activities.

Unfortunately, these new amenities are being challenged by those who seek to limit the promise of the Plaza. For example, opponents now seek to force the Plaza to shut down following every Cubs game. This is not the intent of a welcoming open space.

Since 2013, Alderman Tunney has proposed, and then abandoned, two separate ordinances to authorize the Plaza’s operation. The latest discussions backtrack yet again and raise the specter of restrictions in excess of the prior two ordinances. At Alderman Tunney’s request, we took the unusual step of meeting with a group of Clark Street bar owners regarding the operations of the Plaza. As you can imagine, they would prefer we not compete with them on gamedays. But forcing us to play by different rules deters investments in our neighborhood and denies neighbors and fans the promise of a vibrant, growing economic boost to the City.

To dispel a rumor, the Plaza is not intended to be driven by alcohol service 365 days a year. Our desire is to make the Plaza safe and friendly, open and inviting. The hope was to adopt a comprehensive ordinance to authorize activity and reasonable beer and wine sales on the Plaza, while providing operating restrictions consistent with other Clark Street businesses and the community’s input. But with a Plaza ordinance going nowhere and the space ready to open later this year, the patio liquor license is the most applicable license. It offers the same playing field as other outdoor patios in the neighborhood, allowing the sale of alcohol, including mixed drinks, until 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends.

To date, Hickory Street Capital has been approached to host national and international events appropriate for its space in the neighborhood, food and music festivals, chef-driven restaurants, movies and music in the park and other activities that will bring world-class events and increased commerce to Lakeview and Chicago at reasonable times and for worthwhile activities.

This was the goal when the Ricketts family made a decision to invest $750 million to restore Wrigley Field and develop the surrounding community. Moving forward with the exciting addition of this valuable community asset will keep our neighborhood thriving and vibrant.

We remain committed to open, healthy dialogue with Alderman Tunney who has said his “number one priority is ensuring the public safety and quality of life for neighbors and visitors to our community.” We agree. The Cubs, for example, provide off-duty police officers to the community during, and for three hours after, each Wrigley Field event. In conjunction with the Plaza, Hickory Street Capital has proposed a safety and security plan which includes additional security personnel, reasonable rules for alcohol sales and limits on hours of operation, all aiming to ensure what happens on the Plaza will stay on the Plaza. No other business in the community makes more of a contribution to the safety, security and well-being of Lakeview than those owned by the Ricketts family.

The time has come to move forward. Cubs fans and neighbors deserve access to this wonderful space, which has been promised since 2011.

We appreciate your continued support.

Sincerely,
Hickory Street Capital

If the citizens of Chicago and the state of Illinois don't like what the White Sox get then they should just move out of the state or STFU.

There's only one important question: Will Hickory Street Capital help expand the payroll to get the Cubs to the World Series??????

The difference here with the "You moved there and deal with it" is that when a lot of these people moved there Wrigley was just a baseball stadium and not a massive multipurpose complex that extends far beyond the walls of the stadium.

It would be like if you chose to buy a house within 1500 feet of a bar and then they bought the property around it and turned it into a much bigger and louder outdoor establishment. I can promise that no one here would say "Well, I chose to move by something and no matter how they change it or how much they add to it I should just STFU and take it".

What the hell, I would. Post op is OK right? Right?!?!?!

Farmers markets and movie in the park get a load of these guys.

Many that is true, but an incomplete statement.