Cubs get closer to a bigger ballpark -Landmarks panel OKs Wrigley plans

By Gary Washburn
Tribune staff reporter

March 14, 2005

The proposed Wrigley Field expansion plan took another step forward Monday after the Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted its approval.

Commission members asked questions about landscaping, design features and the impact of extending Wrigley's bleachers above sidewalks bordering Sheffield and Waveland Avenues.

But the vote was unanimous and came amid praise for a design that has been drawn and redrawn since first being proposed by Cubs officials nearly four years ago.

"I think it is going to be a very good project," said Ben Weese, the commission's acting chairman.

Plans call for moving Wrigley's walls out about eight feet to add 1,790 bleacher seats and developing a five-story building with a commercial space and a parking garage on a parcel adjacent to the ballpark. The Cubs would pay a total of $3.1 million for city-owned land required to make both projects feasible.

Wrigley Field and the Cubs are owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.

Because Wrigley is an official city landmark, the commission is required to review and approve any major construction or remodeling plans.

Cubs officials had opposed the landmark designation when it first was proposed, contending it would result in red tape and delays whenever the team wanted to make alterations to the park to keep it attractive to customers and competitive.

But the City Council voted to confer the special status last year, and landmarks commission members on Monday said that the approval process for the new projects illustrates that the system worked well.

"We reach out and make accommodations and let these [buildings] live," Weese said.

The expansion plan still must be approved by the Chicago Plan Commission and the City Council.

Team officials hope to begin the bleachers expansion this fall, with completion in time for the 2006 season. The commercial building would be finished sometime after that.

Copyright © 2005, The Chicago Tribune