The Rosemont Cubs?

[Songbird]

More on the proposal:

Preliminary studies by village engineers convinced Stephens it was feasible to build a ballpark on a patch of land in a tax-increment-financing district just outside O'Hare Airport and still have room for parking and a complex if the Cubs desire. The location includes an "L" stop and a Metra station, but Stephens got most animated describing the 250,000 vehicles on Interstate Highway 294 that would pass signage on the outfield exterior.

"The advertising revenue gets kind of silly over there,'' said Stephens, who would let the Cubs advertise to their heart's content.

Additionally, Rosemont would charge only a 3 percent amusement tax on tickets, compared to Chicago's 12 percent. And if the Cubs want to add night games that are more lucrative?

"I'd say, 'Here's the site. You tell me what work we need to do for you to get there,' '' Stephens said.

The Cubs should say thank you all way to the bank — and possibly up the standings.

Every Cubs fan who values winning more than tradition should root for April 2 to arrive without a deal. From a baseball perspective, it's a potential game-changer. New revenue generated from unrestricted signage, an increase in night games and naming rights to a new stadium — combined with the amusement-tax reduction — could reach as high as $100 million annually, according to industry estimates.

"That's four Josh Hamiltons,'' Stephens kidded.

Or that could afford the finest pitching arms an improving minor league system lacks. Immediately, Cubs President Theo Epstein would get smarter and the baseball inevitably better.

Ricketts' promise to win a World Series trumps any vow he made to remain at Wrigley Field. Mayor Rahm Emanuel might want to remember that upon returning from his spring-break trip closer to becoming The Mayor Who Let The Cubs Leave Chicago. Even Stephens acknowledged only "a slight chance'' exists that will happen. But it was impossible to ignore the mayor's office re-engaging with the Cubs and Tunney late last week after the emergence of a solid Plan B for Ricketts. Plan C looks like DuPage County. The Cubs would be fools to eliminate any plan if April 1 passes with no agreement.

If that happens, Tunney will bear the brunt of responsibility. He's hosting a game of Let's (Not) Make A Deal. The Cubs want to fund a $500 million development in his ward, but Tunney keeps prioritizing rooftop owners who poach the product. If Tunney's not careful, they will be left with great views of Chicago's most famous vacant lot.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0324-haugh-wrigley-field-chicago-20130324,0,4823998.column

I read this and it has the stink of Al Davis playing the game of taking the Raiders to Irwindale.

Irwindale Raiders!

 

[YankeeFan]

Rosemont is not like most towns -- only 4,000 people, but 13.5 million square feet of office space, multiple large corporate headquarters, an 850,000-square-foot convention center, 5,600 hotel rooms, a 17,000-seat arena and transportation options out the wazoo. O'Hare ain't going anywhere, either. I presume the baseball park is a carrot to get even more tourist and corporate business.

That's the thing. They are a different beast.

And, while Schaumburg has more people, it's pretty similar.

 

[buckweaver]

But as the authors of "Field of Schemes" (and every independent economic study on ballpark construction) can tell you, that "carrot" almost never, ever works. The only way the promised development ever works out is if it was likely to happen even without the ballpark.

Will Rosemont get all that new/extra business in the next 10 years without the Cubs? Then they'll get it with the Cubs, too. If not, then they won't.

 

[I Should Coco]

Tuesday night was the annual "Wrigleyville residents bench session" meeting with city officials, and looks like there were plenty of gripes. One of my favorites, from the Chicago Trib:

Jill Peters, president of the Southport Neighbors Association, called on police to do more to stop limousines from idling on residential streets during games and concerts. "They're taking up parking spaces and parking in the crosswalks," Peters said, adding that it will become a bigger problem if the team gets more night games, as it wants.

whole article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-wrigley-field-20130326,0,649687.story

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

If these people don't want the hassles of living near a ballpark these people should probably.....not live near a ballpark.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I'm not saying Rosemont couldn't make it happen and I'm not saying the Cubs would never take advantage of it.

What I am saying is a lot of cities bigger than Rosemont have tried to "become major league" and built large stadiums with public funds and stars in their eyes. And it doesn't bring in nearly the revenue promised ... except to the team owners.

And in 20 years, when the Ricketts heirs hold Rosemont hostage for their "outdated stadium" and threaten to move back downtown, as so many owners do, what does Rosemont do then? Look at what the Falcons are doing with the Georgia Dome. And on and on.

The one difference though, is that Wrigley has lasted so long. If the Ricketts threaten to move in 20 years, people may say, "Well, the other park lasted 100 years. Why can't you wait another 80?"

 

[Captain Obvious]

Good useless government spending is always better than bad useless government spending.

 

[Bob Cook]

Tuesday night was the annual "Wrigleyville residents bench session" meeting with city officials, and looks like there were plenty of gripes. One of my favorites, from the Chicago Trib:

Jill Peters, president of the Southport Neighbors Association, called on police to do more to stop limousines from idling on residential streets during games and concerts. "They're taking up parking spaces and parking in the crosswalks," Peters said, adding that it will become a bigger problem if the team gets more night games, as it wants.

whole article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-wrigley-field-20130326,0,649687.story

Formerly, Jill Peters bought a house near O'Hare and complained about the noise.

Although, this speaks to something usually left unsaid -- there are plenty of people on the North Side who would be just as happy to see the Cubs go and take all the tourists with them. It's not like Lakeview is going to go to shirt if the Cubs leave. I've talked to many residents who are tired of fans pissing on their sidewalks and garages.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

How are those residents going to feel when their property values tank?

 

[Bob Cook]

How are those residents going to feel when their property values tank?

Their property values will be just fine. If you're a bar owner in the immediate area who relies on Cubs traffic, yeah, you're in trouble. The Cubs definitely helped bring Lakeview back. But the Cubs aren't so necessary to keep it alive. Lakeview is pretty full even when the Cubs aren't in town.

 

[Uncle.Ruckus]

How are those residents going to feel when their property values tank?

Their property values will be just fine. If you're a bar owner in the immediate area who relies on Cubs traffic, yeah, you're in trouble. The Cubs definitely helped bring Lakeview back. But the Cubs aren't so necessary to keep it alive. Lakeview is pretty full even when the Cubs aren't in town.

You really think if the Cubs leave that two-flat someone bought for $1.2 million isn't going to lose at least a third of its value? My grandmother sold her house in Lakeview as a complete tear-down (meaning the person just wanted the lot) for $650K. She and my grandfather paid less than $30K when they bought the house in the early '60s.

Without the Cubs around, a good chunk people will head elsewhere to spend their money, and recent property buyers will be upside down pretty much instantly.

 

[RickStain]

Which doesn't really matter, because the Cubs leaving Wrigley isn't even a vaguely credible threat.