The north side alderman whose ward includes Wrigley Field on Wednesday afternoon said he can't get behind a proposed $500 million facelift to the park unless a few big demands are met.
In a letter obtained by NBC Chicago, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) requested the 6,000-foot Jumbotron planned for left field be reduced by almost half. Additionally, he want to reduce the size of another sign in right field, do away with the pedestrian bridge over Clark Street, get rid of the patio/outdoor deck that would bridge Patterson Street, and relocate a planned hotel lobby from Patterson Street to either Addison or Clark streets.
"Only until the following changes are made will I support the Cubs' application," he wrote in a letter to Michael Lufrano, the team's Executive Vice President of Community Affairs and General Counsel.
The Chicago Landmarks Commission is scheduled to discuss the proposal in a Thursday meeting.
In a statement, Julian Green, the Cubs' Vice President of communications and community affairs, said the renovations are necessary in order to remain competitive.
"When we agreed with the City to move forward with the planned development process our plans included many of these elements to deliver the resources we need to fund the project and create additional revenue to put back into the team all without public support," said Green. "Anything less hampers our ability to accomplish that goal."
Details of the proposal, a hard-fought agreement between the city and the team, were announced in mid-April.
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