City Makes Demands On Wrigley's Proposed Toyota Sign

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Apr 2, 2010 2:20PM

A rendering of the proposed Toyota sign at Wrigley Field; Photo courtesy the Cubs, via the Tribune

Don't look for that Toyota sign to be towering above Wrigley Field anytime soon. The city's Department of Zoning has come back to the Cubs with some demands they want met before they clear the way for the lighted sign to go up. The move confirms that the sign won't be in place before the Cubs' home opener on April 12. Among the demands is moving the sign closer to home plate, meaning it will rise from inside the stadium behind bleacher seats as opposed to Wrigley's exterior wall. In addition, according to the Sun-Times:

The Daley administration has further demanded that sign poles be painted green so they "blend in with the architecture of the bleachers" and that the "welds and connection points tie in to the beams of Wrigley Field."

Ald. Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward encompasses Wrigley Field, said, "It's still in the first process of zoning. There's still a ways to go." Mike Lufrano, Cubs vice president of community relations, said, "We've received some constructive comments from the city. We'll continue to work through the process that, we expect, will lead to approval." Cubs owner Tom Ricketts recently defended the sign, saying, "It doesn't affect anyone looking in. I can't imagine this isn't something we can work on." We're still waiting for Toyota to offer a free car to the first player who can smack a home run through the logo because what the Cubs really need is someone like Alfonso Soriano swinging for the fence every time up.