White Sox in “serious” talks to build new stadium

[Kirk Van Houten]

White Sox in ‘serious’ talks to build stadium in South Loop’s ‘The 78’

The team is considering building a stadium at the Clark Street-Roosevelt Road site, sources say. Mayor Brandon Johnson and Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf would say only, “We met to discuss the historic partnership between the team and Chicago and the team’s ideas for remaining competitive in Chicago…

chicago.suntimes.com

The White Sox are negotiating with developer Related Midwest about the possibility of building a new ballpark on the South Loop parcel known as “the 78.” The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns and financed Guaranteed Rate Field, has not yet been involved in the discussions, according to the authority’s CEO Frank Bilecki. At some point, the stadium authority would need to get involved in determining the future of Guaranteed Rate Field and possibly in building a new ballpark, if it is publicly funded. The potential site at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street is owned by Related Midwest. Company president Curt Bailey refused to comment on the talks. So did Sox spokesperson Scott Reifert and Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Mayor Brandon Johnson.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

This has been the dream location for several decades.

I'll believe it when shovels are in the ground, too soon to get my hopes up.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Yeah, that is the primo spot for a new ballpark. Hopefully the city and especially state don't get roped in for too much public money.

 

[GindyDraws]

Hopefully, they'll build a nice ballpark this time and not something hideous.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Hopefully, they'll build a nice ballpark this time and not something hideous.

GAF isn't hideous, it's just bland and there's nothing around it.

 

[GindyDraws]

GAF isn't hideous, it's just bland and there's nothing around it.

When they first built it, people complained, and has only reached mediocrity. It still ranks low in ballpark rankings, however, above the gruesome twosome that is Tropicana Field and Oakland County Coliseum.

 

[KevFu]

New Comiskey (I dislike corporate names that change) just got caught in a terrible time period where there was no path to victory.

It didn't open to rave reviews because Old Comiskey was so tiny that every seat had a great view and everyone's reaction to the new place was "It's HUGE and we're so far away!" But it's really NOT huge compared to any other MLB stadium.

It's also "bland" because it was built when the focal point was THE GAME and not all the STUFF in a stadium, which drastically changed right after it opened.

Obviously, Oakland is terrible because it's 60+ years old and they've done virtually nothing but make it worse because of football; Not even doing what the Mets and Cardinals did making their cookie-cutter multipurpose stadiums Shea and Busch (I don't have a problem with corporate names that stay the same for 50 years**) more baseball home-y.

And the Rays stadium was designed in 1986 and opened in 1990 (ironically they were building it for the White Sox). It was outdated long before the Rays even moved in.


** Fun fact. Busch Stadium isn't named after the beer. The beer-baron owner of the Cardinals wanted to name the place Budweiser Stadium. The commissioner of baseball vetoed that. So he named it Busch Stadium after himself... and THEN launched Busch beer.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

South Loop would get more than a new White Sox stadium — think residences, a hotel, restaurants and more

A new Sox ballpark would be just one element in a multibillion development on a largely vacant tract of land known as “The 78.”

chicago.suntimes.com

 

[BKIslandersFan]

What is the public transit situation?

 

[IU Hawks fan]

A little better than the current park.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

A little better than the current park.

Current park is really good. Two L trains plus Metra line.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

CTA: Red, Green, & Orange Lines all within a few blocks

Commuter Trains:
* Metra Rock Island Line (SW Burbs) runs right through the property. They'd likely add a stop, but closest station is 0.7mi

* Metra Electric Line (South Burbs w/ near SW burbs and South Chicago branches)
* South Shore (NW Indiana to South Bend)
These are both 0.7mi away from the Museum Campus/11th St. Station

(These are the current trains to GRF)

It's also 1.1mi from Union Station & 1.4mi from Ogilvie. A bit of a hike but they could potentially run CTA shuttle buses on gamedays, so it's accessible to the rest of the Metra lines.

 

[LadyStanley]

White Sox reportedly seeking $1 billion from Illinois to fund new stadium

Jerry Reinsdorf would like some taxpayer money.

sports.yahoo.com

Seeking $1B in public.funds to build stadium

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Bears and Sox are both run by morons. The city, state, and county aren't going to remotely cough up the dough they're seeking. There is zero local or state appetite for a mega handout.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Bears and Sox are both run by morons. The city, state, and county aren't going to remotely cough up the dough they're seeking. There is zero local or state appetite for a mega handout.

Espcially the White Sox, considering there is another MLB team north that just paid to renovate their stadium privately.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Espcially the White Sox, considering there is another MLB team north that just paid to renovate their stadium privately.

Not like the Cubs didn't ask for state money. And overall, these are 2 very different scenarios.

The Cubs wanted to improve their ballpark in a well established neighborhood that they were beginning to buy up much of the property in. The Sox are looking to be the centerpiece of a new neighborhood, on land that very well may still be sitting empty in 50 years if the park doesn't get built.

I don't think the state should fund it, but offering some perspective of why they would. They need this land developed so it can enter the tax base and not continue to be a negative waste land.