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Originally Posted by Siriusly
I think this is easily the best stadium/neighborhood environment in the country for any sport. They are turning it into a community that actually lives up to the name "Wrigleyville". This transformation is great. I hope 'Addison on the Park' turns out like the renderings with the Times Square type signage and lighting. My only problem is the average fan is probably going to be eventually priced out of coming within a square mile of the stadium leaving nothing but plastic fans everywhere.
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I fully agree. I'm all for the glowing lights and signage. I'd love for Wrigleyville to become a node of its own on the north side. Bonus on making it even harder to drive to the area. Let everyone take transit or walk.
The middle/working class fans getting priced out of the neighborhood is a sad reality of the economics of the redevelopment. Investing that much money by the Ricketts would only make sense if they got a good return on their investment. That implies rising property values, with pricey residential units and retail/restaurants that cater to higher end consumers in order to pay the pricey rent such a development would demand.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siriusly
This is more like the European soccer experience where the stadium/team is well integrated within an urban neighborhood and feels like it belongs to the local community unlike most American sports complexes that sit isolated and feel unapproachable. Like Soldier Field and the United Center for example where there is absolutely no life or charm to them. I've always preferred the European model, very similar to Wrigley as opposed to the U.S.'s approach of building off of expressways or in suburbs with seas of parking and natural or man made barriers. A major team playing in a location like this would never happen in modern times and we'll probably never see anything like it again.
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Unlike Soldier Field, the United Center's issue is fixable. The lots suck the life out of the area, but they allow for street-fronting development that can join up with the rest of the nightlight corridor along Madison St. It's a foregone conclusion that those lots days are numbered. Add a stop on the Pink Like and it only hastens the process.
All the above applies to Comiskey as well, just add a couple of decades to that timetable.
Soldier Field will forever be a stadium in the middle of a park that's a b*tch to walk to, however.
Can't wait for my first game at Wrigley this year. Go Cubbies!