Wrigley Field Renovations: Sheffield, Waveland narrowing approved

Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field renovation plans took another step further as they advanced through the final Chicago City Council committee, according to Danny Ecker at Crain’s Chicago Business.

"The city’s panel on Transportation and Public Way today OK’d the team’s plan to move its property lines farther into Sheffield and Waveland avenues than what was previously approved.That includes extending Wrigley Field’s footprint 25 feet closer to Sheffield Avenue and just more than 24 feet on Waveland than it is today, allowing the team to move exterior outfield walls back to accommodate new signage.In return, the Cubs will pay $3.75 million over the next decade into the “Cub Fund,” which the city uses for infrastructure improvements to the Lakeview area, including new lighting and new traffic signals along Clark Street between Belmont Avenue and Irving Park Road."

Narrowing Waveland and Sheffield will make them both two-way streets with no parking at any time. The Cubs have offered parking to area residents on non-game days and will likely attempt to continue to do so.

The full City Council will discuss this portion of the Cubs’ proposal at their regular meeting Wednesday.

"Even if the full Wrigley Field renovation planned development gets City Council approval, the team still wants to finalize terms of a proposed ordinance that would allow fans to carry alcohol out of the ballpark and into an adjacent plaza in a marked cup.Then, it comes down to its ongoing discussions with rooftop owners, and the team maintains that it will not start work on large portions of the renovation and redevelopment plan unless the Wrigleyville Rooftop Association agrees not to sue the team over blocked views."

The rooftop owners look to be the final hurdle on the Cubs’ plan.