“Chicago’s Near South lakefront is one of the crown jewels of the city, with its parkland, lake access, harbor and three world-renowned museums, all within a few blocks of each other.
“And it deserves better treatment. Consider this:
“On the southern end near 23rd Street, McCormick Place’s Lakeside Center threatens to rot in place.
“Then there is Northerly Island Park, with all of its potential wasted by a split-personality redevelopment that put a 30,000-seat live event pavilion on its north side, but a nature sanctuary on its south.
“Now come the Chicago Bears with plans to shoehorn a giant domed stadium — and maybe even hotels and a sports museum — on the parking lots just south of their current Soldier Field playground.
“This editorial board has expressed concerns about the current proposed Bears stadium (we don’t like it) and certainly will again as the team’s plans develop.
“Still, in a way, you can’t (yet) fault the Bears for trying. They are a for-profit organization, looking for a stadium deal that makes them even more money.
“But that the team can just diesel their way in — Bronko Nagurski-style — and attempt to set the agenda for a critical section of one of the most iconic water frontages in the world is more than a bit troubling.
“It points to an even larger question: Who in government is truly minding the store when it comes to mapping the future of this critical area of Chicago’s lakefront?
“It isn’t as if the tools aren’t there. Chiefly there is the 51-year-old Lakefront Protection ordinance that keeps private development off the city’s shores and can give the thumbs up or down to public development that violates the long-held and fought-for concept of the lakefront as a public trust.
“And there’s the Chicago Park District, an independent governmental body — on paper, at least — which can set the agenda for the lakefront. Then there’s the mayor, through which all big things must (or should) pass.
“So what’s the problem? For too long, Chicago’s parks and lakefront have been looked at as easily developable land, rather than sacrosanct public places that act as respite from the hurly-burly of the big city.
“Until that changes, lakefront and park space will always be under the threat of some sort of attack.
“While Soldier Field has been in Burnham Park since 1924, it was originally built as a properly-scaled lakefront public gathering space for big events: Boxing, major religious gatherings, sporting events, and the like.
“The notion of a new domed stadium and hotels goes against all that, even if the Bears kept their promise of spending $2 billion to build the place, then gift it to the public.
“Still, the museum campus, Soldier Field, Lakeside Center and Northerly Island need help and a vision for the future.
“Same for the Near South lakefront. The public and Burnham Park would be better served by the public, government and civic leadership working together to determine the area’s future.” (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 3/13/24)
Read the full story at the Chicago Sun-Times
- Chicago’s lakefront is too important to just hand off for a new Bears stadium; Based on what we’ve seen of the Bears plans so far, and given the lakefront’s civic importance, Mayor Johnson should steer the team to consider other locations in Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 3/13/24
- Bears in a hurry to build domed lakefront stadium, but Friends of the Parks says, ‘Not so fast’; Gin Kilgore, acting executive director of Friends of the Parks, is not about to go along with what she called Bears President Kevin Warren’s “Buy now. This deal won’t last” sales pitch, Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/5/24
- Bears put lakefront stadium cards on the table with state agency key to funding deal; Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, said the Bears are eyeing the same portion of the hotel tax the White Sox hope to use to fund a new stadium in the South Loop, Fran Spielman, Chicago Sun-Times, 4/4/24
- Friends of the Parks Encourage Thoughtful Approach as Bears Prepare Proposal for New Lakefront Stadium, Emily Soto, WTTW Chicago, 4/1/24
- Friends of the Parks to the Chicago Bears: Play Ball With Stakeholders on New Stadium Plans; Patty Wetli, WTTW Chicago, 3/12/24
- Chicago Bears sit down with potential stadium foes, Friends of the Parks, Justin Laurence, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/21/24
- Bears stadium pitch includes dramatic lakefront changes: Crain’s Daily Gist podcast, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/26/24
- Chicago Bears sit down with potential stadium foes, Friends of the Parks, Justin Laurence, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/21/24
- Bears’ stadium plans include $1B overhaul of Museum Campus — and a new lakefront hotel, Justin Laurence, Crain’s Chicago Business, 3/21/24