CHICAGO | The 78 Site

[ChiND]

This would be amazing. I hope that there’s no parking on the 78 site though. It would be sad to see a sea of parking lots on this site. Fortunately, the images suggest that there won’t be parking on this site.

[UPChicago]

Hopefully this is blocked, they can built a stadium at their current location and build an entertainment district around it. They shouldn’t be able to leave that community with acres of vacant land. Terrible idea.

[galleyfox]

Originally Posted by UPChicago

Hopefully this is blocked, they can built a stadium at their current location and build an entertainment district around it. They shouldn’t be able to leave that community with acres of vacant land. Terrible idea.

I believe the city is trying to organize the Chicago Fire to relocate to Guaranteed Rate in the event there is a 78 stadium development.

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by SIGSEGV

And then maybe the bears can move to 35th?

I feel like this will end up being a game of musical chairs for the Bears and Sox. I don't see how the footprint of the 78 will end up fitting a baseball (or football stadium), though.

The new Wells extension cuts into any potential footprint, and if the idea of realigning the rail tracks is still a thing, I think it would make it even more challenging. Between the new Wells Street and the tracks, it is roughly 500f from east to west for the Sox to play with. Look at any MLB ballparks, and I think you would be hard-pressed to find any footprint that extends less than 500ft. Even the SF Giants' extremely short right field porch is more than 530 feet from the home plate entry gate to the foul pole.

My prediction is that the Bears will move at the MCC Marshalling Yards/Reese site, and the White Sox will get the state/city to reconfigure Soldier Field for baseball, or the Bears will sell the AH site to the White Sox to build there. Maybe the Chicago Fire then built a soccer-specific stadium at the Comisky footprint.

[VKChaz]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

...The new Wells extension cuts into any potential footprint, and if the idea of realigning the rail tracks is still a thing, I think it would make it even more challenging...

I am guessing those good things go away which is a reason I don't like this

[nomarandlee]

Originally Posted by MorganChi

Why haven’t Reinsdorf worked with the McCaskeys in possibly sharing a stadium like the dolphins and marlins are doing. You have your futuristic stadium in a prime area by water. By the way, both owners are interested in real estate.

Wait, what? I know this isn't a Miami thread, but where have you read that? The Marlins ballpark is extremely new and I think the taxpayers paid a small fortune for it.

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Reinsdorf is an idiot

He never shoulda torn down old comiskey.

He had a treasure in his hand and proceeded to flush it down the toilet.

Respectfully I disagree. Comisky was an utter dump with few redeeming qualities. While there will be those who say, "Yeah, but so was/is Wrigley," I think they underestimate Wrigley's virtues and misremember the utter dump that was Comisky.

[bnk]

What ever the Bears do


Please do not make a football and baseball dome at the same time to share the same place. Every national attempt at one was a major failure.

You cannot fit a football dome with a baseball team in the same space.

One group will have to suffer the consequences. And the NFL will never defer to the MLB. Football is much more important, collage or pros.

The White Sox are almost dead men walking at this point. We are not talking about the Cubs here and Wriggly field. It's a totally different animal that has like even 1/6 of the amount of national fandom.

Wriggley is a religious experience for those out of town. The Sox have nothing like it and likely never will.


All attempts at such choices all failed.

If one can show me an example of a successful one, I would like to hear from you.

[left of center]

Originally Posted by nomarandlee

The new Wells extension cuts into any potential footprint, and if the idea of realigning the rail tracks is still a thing, I think it would make it even more challenging. Between the new Wells Street and the tracks, it is roughly 500f from east to west for the Sox to play with. Look at any MLB ballparks, and I think you would be hard-pressed to find any footprint that extends less than 500ft. Even the SF Giants' extremely short right field porch is more than 530 feet from the home plate entry gate to the foul pole.

The renderings show that Wells St. is reconfigured so that it curves to run along the river at the perimeter of the ballpark to allow for enough space. It will be an additional expense of course, but if that means landing the White Sox I'm sure Related will have no problem making those changes.

[SamInTheLoop]

FFS

Does Related actually have any intention of developing this site?!

This could literally go on for the next couple decades - every other year they'll try to land some pie in the sky nonsense. Just start building residential towers. There's demand for it.

I'm actually hoping there's a NIMBY uproar over this possibility so the alderman can just take it off the table so the White Sox can use other sites as leverage and Related has one less of these goofy plays to delay with.

Clearly the Sox should build a new stadium in Bridgeport paired with some major adjacent residential, entertainment, retail development.

[west-town-brad]

Originally Posted by left of center

The renderings show that Wells St. is reconfigured so that it curves to run along the river at the perimeter of the ballpark to allow for enough space. It will be an additional expense of course, but if that means landing the White Sox I'm sure Related will have no problem making those changes.

well there is certainly no hesitation to tearing up newly paved streets in the city of chicago

[Lakeviewguy]

I believe that all MLB parks must be oriented with homeplate in the SW corner. Otherwise, these images are absolutely sick. Let's dream.

[dewbs]

Originally Posted by Lakeviewguy

I believe that all MLB parks must be oriented with homeplate in the SW corner. Otherwise, these images are absolutely sick. Let's dream.

Most recently built stadiums (newest to oldest):

globe life field: NW
truist park: north
Loandepot: dome
Target field: W
Yankee stadium: SW
Citi field: S
Nationals park: SW
busch stadium: SW
citizens bank park: S
Petco park: S
Great american ballpark: N

Also, though, isn't homeplate in the southwest corner in the renderings anyway?

[bhawk66]

Originally Posted by southoftheloop

The seats in this ballpark would, without a doubt, have the best skyline view in all of professional sports

Ya think? Seems to me the views would be pretty boxed in with the immediate development around it. Not sure how much more would be visible. In other words: Too inner city for their own good, lol. Still cool, though.

[r18tdi]

Originally Posted by SamInTheLoop

FFS

Does Related actually have any intention of developing this site?!

This could literally go on for the next couple decades - every other year they'll try to land some pie in the sky nonsense. Just start building residential towers. There's demand for it.

I guess, but would you really want to move into the first and only apartment tower at The 78, isolated with nothing around but brownfields and a single road? It would be like the residential equivalent to that one sad and empty office building at Lincoln Yards.

Related sees value in holding out for a single big anchor to kick-start the rest.

[Mister Uptempo]

If parking is such an issue, buy up the air rights to a part of Amtrak's rail yards on the west bank of the river, and connect it to the ballpark by building much wider sidewalks along Roosevelt, a new pedestrian bridge over the river, or both.

Amtrak has wanted to tear down the old Union Station power station just north of Roosevelt for parking. Get them in on this project, as well.

Drivers could access the lots from the West via Roosevelt, and from the South by exiting the Ryan at Cermak, turning West, then North on Canal.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

I guess, but would you really want to move into the first and only apartment tower at The 78, isolated with nothing around but brownfields and a single road? It would be like the residential equivalent to that one sad and empty office building at Lincoln Yards.

Related sees value in holding out for a single big anchor to kick-start the rest.

Related Midwest is nothing if not very cautious. With office largely in the toilet and not likely to change in the short to medium term trying to lure the Sox probably makes sense. Then they can slowly develop residential at a pace they are comfortable with plus whatever DPI needs.

[CaptainJilliams]

I'm late to the party on this one, but wowzer, the renderings look incredible.

There certainly are lots of questions on how this would work, but if they somehow pulled it off, a downtown ballpark would be pretty special at that location.

The 78 just needs to stop teasing us and start building already.

[marothisu]

I'm not a Cubs or White Sox fan, but this is pretty exciting if serious. Can you imagine a bunch of restaurants/bars right across the street from a stadium/venue along the water? Wouldn't have a great view of course but damn.

[Kngkyle]

Related isn't going to build squat on this site until they have a larger "anchor" than the relatively small DPI. A stadium (either for Sox or Fire) and corresponding entertainment district is their only card to play at this point. Office is out of the question now (and was always dubious) and the casino ship has sailed. Looking at the renderings you can see the pedestrian space around the stadium (other than riverside) is elevated, likely covering a massive parking garage akin to Millennium Garages.

The Sox could also build an off-site garage/tailgate lot and shuttle people to the stadium via ferry.

[SamInTheLoop]

Originally Posted by r18tdi

I guess, but would you really want to move into the first and only apartment tower at The 78, isolated with nothing around but brownfields and a single road? It would be like the residential equivalent to that one sad and empty office building at Lincoln Yards.

Related sees value in holding out for a single big anchor to kick-start the rest.

It's a valid point. But we have a model for this. It's called Lakeshore East. Yes, they're different sites and always challenging to make direct comparisons. But I think if they do a nice park component and riverwalk at the front end, they'll be successful doing a couple resi towers at a time.

Guys, the moonshot is not necessary here. They don't need this spectacular anchor. It just needs to be planned and sequenced right, with the upfront investment in the form of very pleasant, high design public spaces. But they need to start building. I can't even tell if they're serious at this point.

If you're waiting for some sort of stadium savior, #1 it's not necessary, and #2 you might very well be waiting for 20+ years.

Also, not only was office very dubious from the beginning as Kngkyle points out, but particularly so when it comes to Related Midwest. Quick, tell me when was the last major office project in Chicago that they built? I could be blanking, but I literally can not think of one. It's not their jam in these parts. Was never in the cards. By the way, this makes their recent decision to switch from mostly resi to mostly office at thier expressway-adjacent site in the West Loop even more perplexing.