Wrigley Renovation Talks Ongoing, Expected to Take Days

Next Monday, the date of the Cubs' home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, is the new target deadline

Tuesday's discussions on a five-year, $300 million plan to renovate Wrigley Field amounted to little more than phone conversations between City Hall and team officials, sources said.

The indication from sources on all sides is that talks on the proposal will take not hours but days. Next Monday, the date of the Cubs' home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, is the new target deadline.

The Cubs organization has offered to foot the bill on the massive plan but wants the city to ease restrictions on a few key issues, namely advertising, concerts and night games. Due to its location in a residential neighborhood, the Cubs are limited to 30 home night games a season and the team can't play night games on Friday or Saturday. They're also the only major league team that faces advertising limitations.

Rooftop owners and the possible loss of their lucrative sight lines due to a proposed JumboTron and digital billboards are among the biggest flies in the ointment.

The team is hyper focused on revenue to foot the bill for the project and fund the payroll for a winning team.

Ald Tom Tunney (44th), whose ward includes Wrigley Field, is concerned about the traffic and problems that would come with increased night games and concerts.

But his critics, like 44th Ward Republican Committeeman Scott Davis, say he's actually too beholden to the rooftop owners. He said Tunney needs to back off and let the Cubs proceed with their plans.

Tunney Seeks "Balance" in Wrigley Talks

 
Correction: This post, originally published April 2, 2013, incorrectly referred to 44th Ward Republican Committeeman Scott Davis as Scott Harris.

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