Fran Spielman spoke with Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Thursday and according to the report from the Sun-Times, Mayor Emanuel said the talks are “in the bottom of the ninth inning.” After the, insert Carlos Marmol jokes here, the question becomes will the Cubs be able to close this one out?
The latest talks reportedly have the Cubs changing the footprint to Wrigley Field and moving the exterior walls in both left field and right field out to add interior space and minimize the impact the new signs will have on the views of the rooftop clubs.
Mayor Emanuel told the Sun-Times they are “closer than ever before” to finalizing a deal. The framework is apparently completed, only details remain to be worked out before the deal can be taken to a second stage. According to the Sun-Times, the second stage in the process “is submission to the planning development process.”
The Sun-Times reported that both of the exterior walls could be moved as much as ten feet, two feet more than reports suggested on Wednesday. A Cubs source told Fran Spielman, “The plan would be to move the wall as far back as possible so the jumbotron would have less impact on rooftop views. There’s still some impact. But by moving it closer to the rooftops, their patrons would be able to look over the jumbotron instead of having it block their views. Same with the sign in right.”
The Cubs would use the additional space to make the concourses bigger and add concessions under the bleachers.
Full Report from the Chicago Sun-Times