No Game, No Problem: Cubs Chairman Wants Daily Events At New Wrigley Plaza
By Stephen Gossett in News on Feb 28, 2017 6:50PM
What’s a shiny, new 50,000-square-foot plaza if you can’t maximize the use value of the damn thing? That appears to be the frame of mind for Cub Chairman Tom Ricketts, who said he wants to the team to host events at the open-air plaza “every day,” according to DNAinfo.
Ricketts wants to see events like farmers markets, film screenings and live music performances at the space, Ricketts reportedly said on Monday, when he spoke at the City Club Chicago.
Assuming those live performances—“little music shows,” as Ricketts described them, according to DNA—are kept relatively small scale, those options should dovetail well enough with the somewhat strict limitations imposed by the City Council last June on how the plaza can operate. In addition to a ban on liquor and wine, the ordinance mandates that only ticket-holders can enter on game days; and the plaza can host no more than 12 "special events" (1,000+ attendees) per year.
Bennett Lawson—Chief of Staff for Ald. Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigleyville—said the office supports smaller-scale amusements being held year-round at the plaza. Tunney has advocated a slow-but-steady approach when it comes to such Cubs-backed expansionism. He described last year’s ordinance—which he supported—as an “incremental” measure “that allows us to get our feet wet, to crawl before we walk, before we run.”
Ricketts, on the other hand, might be more emboldened than ever. In a spiel that also outlined his desire to have Wrigley Field to host an All-Star Game, post-renovations, the team chairman made it abundantly clear that his team has given the city a monster financial shot in the arm.
“The fact is, we're a very, very important economic engine to the city of Chicago… We really feel like we've done a lot for the city over the last few years. I'm not sure who's done more, to be honest,” Ricketts said, via Crain’s.
Cubs Plaza is expected to open this summer. It’s one of several major, team-related developments in the area, including the seven-story Hotel Zachary, which will rise across from Wrigley Field and renovations to the stadium itself—which Ricketts said have cost some $600 million, according to the Tribune.
[H/T Curbed]
This post has been updated.