Wrigley Renovation Thread

[jersey cubs fan]

I've heard Bruce Levine say on The Score a few times, the new Budweiser sign will bring in $14M+ annually. I don't know if the Cubs have released many financials on the upgrades, but $14M a year would be great.

 

That one sign, or the overall agreement with Budweiser?

That has to be the overall agreement, including the new sign. $14m for one sign seems really high, no?

 

Yes, seems very unlikely.

[apete6]

@thekapman Tweeting that he's hearing the new plan doesn't have the full support of the Landmarks Commission and it won't necessarily be a rubber stamp from them. Only specific thing he mentioned was the removal of some of the bricks & ivy to create another "knothole" for the bullpens. He didn't infer that it wouldn't go through, but said it was "ridiculous that they didn't have full support" before going this far.

[Sammy Sofa]

OH MY GOD, WHO CARES ABOUT A BIT OF THE [expletive] BRICKS AND IVY. I hate this stupid [expletive] stadium and this stupid [expletive] city.

[Guest]

I can't seem to figure how to post gif's anymore. I'll just express myself thusly:

 

\:D/

 

it's just like posting any other image

 

[im g][/im g]

 

(without the spaces)

[Guest]

lol kaplan and haugh have a show together?

 

who the [expletive] would listen to that? that's worse than mully and hanley. hell, it might be worse than murph.

[XZero771679666304]

OH MY GOD, WHO CARES ABOUT A BIT OF THE [expletive] BRICKS AND IVY. I hate this stupid [expletive] stadium and this stupid [expletive] city.

 

 

Yeah, a part of me would really love to see the Cubs to move, leaving the neighborhood and city with an empty, decrepit husk as a reward for all their resistance and meddling.

[jersey cubs fan]

I can't seem to figure how to post gif's anymore. I'll just express myself thusly:

 

\:D/

 

it's just like posting any other image

 

[im g][/im g]

 

(without the spaces)

 

but it has to be the exact url of the gif, not the website where the gif came from, which is what ryno's problem was there.

[Guest]

Bruce Miles breakdown of the presentation yesterday:

 

The newest proposal calls for the home clubhouse to be expanded from 11,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet in a bi-level basement structure west of the Wrigley Field building and be ready by Opening Day 2016. Groundbreaking could begin this July.

 

The new clubhouse -- along with bullpens being moved from the foul lines to under the outfield bleachers -- is part of an aggressive tack announced last week by team chairman Tom Ricketts.

 

Because talks with neighboring rooftop owners on a "compromise" renovation have gone nowhere, Ricketts and the Cubs have decided shoot for big things, including seven outfield signs that will block the rooftop views and likely provoke legal action. The rooftop owners pay 17 percent of their revenues to the team in a contract that runs through 2023.

 

The Cubs originally had planned to expand the clubhouse facilities to about 19,000 square feet, but when they saw the new spring-training facility in Arizona, they decided to go big. Kenney said the new clubhouse would be second in size only to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

 

"If there is one good thing that came out of the delay, and it's the only good thing that came out of the delay, is that it gave us a chance to see our players in Arizona," Kenney said. "It gave us a chance to see how they use the place there. It caused us to rethink a couple things."

 

Kenney highlighted other aspects of the renovation plan during a 45-minute presentation to reporters:

 

• Seven signs, including a video scoreboard and a smaller electronic message board, would span the outfield. Although the rooftop owners have threatened to sue because the signs would block their patrons' views, Kenney said the contract the Cubs have with the rooftop owners allows for the expansion.

 

"The contract anticipated the city potentially approving a further expansion," he said. "There is specific language to address exactly what we're talking about."

 

He added: "You have to ask yourself: How much of the rooftop business is really driven by a perfect vision of the game, and how much of it is like tailgating, where you're near the action and people like to gather?"

 

• The revised renovations would add $75 million to the cost of the total project, which includes a hotel across Clark Street. Kenney said another site in Chicago is a possibility of the Cubs can't get what they want at Clark and Addison.

 

The Cubs will go before Chicago's landmark commission on June 5.

 

"If we don't control our ballpark, then we have to look at other options, and we'll work with the city on that," Kenney said. "Right now, we and the city believe this project will move forward."

 

• The left-field video board will be reduced in size from its originally planned 4,560 square feet to 3,950. The Cubs also had planned to add lights to the video board to illuminate the playing field, but instead new light standards above the left- and right-field corners would be erected.

 

• The bullpens would be placed under the right-center and left-center bleachers. The doorways in those parts of the park would be expanded to allow players to view the field, but the Cubs say the brick walls and iconic ivy would not be significantly affected.

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140527/sports/140528431/

[Cubswin11]

In other news Cobb County is doing pretty much the exact opposite of TT/City of Chicago.

 

http://deadspin.com/opponents-barred-from-speaking-as-cobb-county-approves-1582556255

[Irrelevant Dude]

He added: "You have to ask yourself: How much of the rooftop business is really driven by a perfect vision of the game, and how much of it is like tailgating, where you're near the action and people like to gather?"

Exactly this. I have been to a couple rooftop parties and very few people are there to sit and watch the game. Even the unobstructed views leave a lot to be desired. Assuming the signs lead to additional revenue which helps the Cubs field a consistently competitive team, the rooftop owners will benefit from the excitement around the team more than they will be harmed by any obstructions.

[muntjack]

Just have jumbotrons on the backs of the signs.

[Guest]

Just have jumbotrons on the backs of the signs.

 

or just have nothing and [expletive] them

[Guest]

Just have jumbotrons on the backs of the signs.

 

Gotta be sensitive to the residents, can't have the blinding glare of those lights illuminating full city blocks ya know.

[apete6]

OH MY GOD, WHO CARES ABOUT A BIT OF THE [expletive] BRICKS AND IVY. I hate this stupid [expletive] stadium and this stupid [expletive] city.

 

Agreed, but those are specifically mentioned in the Landmark Status the building has.

[UMFan83]

He added: "You have to ask yourself: How much of the rooftop business is really driven by a perfect vision of the game, and how much of it is like tailgating, where you're near the action and people like to gather?"

Exactly this. I have been to a couple rooftop parties and very few people are there to sit and watch the game. Even the unobstructed views leave a lot to be desired. Assuming the signs lead to additional revenue which helps the Cubs field a consistently competitive team, the rooftop owners will benefit from the excitement around the team more than they will be harmed by any obstructions.

 

Out of the maybe 10 times I've done a rooftop, I think only 2 of those times were people including myself watching the game. The other times were networking events, company outings, and a couple of bachelor parties.

 

That said, those events happen because you CAN see the game, even if no one watches. The appeal for a corporate event goes down when you can only see the right half of the infield and half of home plate because a giant scoreboard is blocking the rest.

 

I'm not taking the rooftops side, I still say [expletive] them, but I believe it will make a huge difference for the rooftops.

[jersey cubs fan]

He added: "You have to ask yourself: How much of the rooftop business is really driven by a perfect vision of the game, and how much of it is like tailgating, where you're near the action and people like to gather?"

Exactly this. I have been to a couple rooftop parties and very few people are there to sit and watch the game. Even the unobstructed views leave a lot to be desired. Assuming the signs lead to additional revenue which helps the Cubs field a consistently competitive team, the rooftop owners will benefit from the excitement around the team more than they will be harmed by any obstructions.

 

Out of the maybe 10 times I've done a rooftop, I think only 2 of those times were people including myself watching the game. The other times were networking events, company outings, and a couple of bachelor parties.

 

That said, those events happen because you CAN see the game, even if no one watches. The appeal for a corporate event goes down when you can only see the right half of the infield and half of home plate because a giant scoreboard is blocking the rest.

 

I'm not taking the rooftops side, I still say [expletive] them, but I believe it will make a huge difference for the rooftops.

 

But there already are rooftops with blocked views that still do business.

 

And if you want to get 20-50 people at an event centered around a sports team in Chicago during the summer, it's an option regardless of the view.

[Guest]

people would pay to stand on waveland and sheffield and stare at the wall if the team is good enough

[davell]

So, Rahm says the plan isn't ready for June 5th meeting. Cubs have work to do.

 

 

What a [expletive] joke.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Groundbreaking could begin this some July.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

http://i.imgur.com/btTTqRA.gif

[Guest]

Just ditch the bullpen stuff if it meets significant resistance. Who cares?

[Sammys Boombox]

Ok, who was actually surprised?

[Guest]

Everybody's gotta feel important.

[jersey cubs fan]

So, Rahm says the plan isn't ready for June 5th meeting. Cubs have work to do.

 

 

What a [expletive] joke.

 

I'll take a wild guess and assume this is a good cop bad cop thing he has to say to make it look like he's not strong arming the commission. Of course the Cubs have work to do before the meeting.

[Andy]

Just ditch the bullpen stuff if it meets significant resistance. Who cares?

Can't move forward with any more renovations until we get some of the revenue from the extra couple dozen seats down there.