Tunney wants MORE cars in Lakeview...

For those of us who live in Lakeview or end up there pretty often, the amount of car traffic there can be pretty awful. This was sent to me, and it seems like it's a pretty crappy deal by an alderman that I thought would be more in favor of reducing traffic in his turf:

Alderman Tom Tunney is negotiating with the Cubs, and he wants more parking -- as much as 20 percent of Wrigley Field's capacity.*  Many of us feel Lakeview has enough cars on our streets already, and we would rather see investments in bicycling, transit, shuttles and sidewalks instead to serve residents and visitors.  Do you agree?
Please sign the petition TODAY and send this message to Alderman Tunney and the Cubs.  The Cubs have set a deadline of Monday, April 1 for an agreement around renovations, parking, and more.  They need to hear our voice.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Lee Crandell on April 8, 2013 at 5:26am

Exactly. They're not asking for it or proposing it. They're "agreeing" to it because the alderman is asking for it as a condition for approving their plan.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-cubs-...

Last week, Tunney said that the Cubs have agreed to create extra parking in Wrigleyville, possibly by constructing a two-level garage that would create up to 500 extra spaces on what is now a gravel lot near Clark and Grace streets. The Cubs also have pledged to help pay for putting extra police on patrol around game times, the alderman said.


Lee Crandell said:

When have the Cubs said they want a parking garage? I've been part of these conversations in the neighborhood, and I haven't seen them say they want one. It wasn't part of their original proposal. I'm curious where you heard that.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on April 8, 2013 at 5:28am

True. I think the Rickett's mainly want to renovate the park, add giant ad screens in the outfield, and put the rooftop owners out of business. The whole project reeks of a cash-grab.

Lee Crandell said:

Exactly. They're not asking for it or proposing it. They're "agreeing" to it because the alderman is asking for it as a condition for approving their plan.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-cubs-...

Last week, Tunney said that the Cubs have agreed to create extra parking in Wrigleyville, possibly by constructing a two-level garage that would create up to 500 extra spaces on what is now a gravel lot near Clark and Grace streets. The Cubs also have pledged to help pay for putting extra police on patrol around game times, the alderman said.


Lee Crandell said:

When have the Cubs said they want a parking garage? I've been part of these conversations in the neighborhood, and I haven't seen them say they want one. It wasn't part of their original proposal. I'm curious where you heard that.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on April 8, 2013 at 5:59am

That's probably true, but we shouldn't be destroying the fabric of the neighborhood for people who don't even live in it. Catering to tourists while neglecting the residents is a big smack in the face.

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

The out of town fans are a huge consideration when talking about the Cubs. The reality is that thanks to WGN’s super station status the Cubs have become the team of places that don’t have a team because ever since the 1980’s you could reliably watch Cubs games anywhere in the US. For these fans taking a road trip to see the Cubs and spend a few days in the big city is part of their summer vacation planning.

 

Unless we somehow get a regional transportation system that allows the fans driving in from downstate, Iowa, Indiana, and the Dakotas to leave theirs cars in their home state, these fans are going to drive to Wrigley. Having driven the first 300 miles, they’re unlikely to park in the suburbs and take Metra the last 30 miles. The ones that are staying in a Wrigleyville hotel are almost certain to drive there.

 

While I’m no fan of parking garages, I’d rather see a parking garage than the current status quo of every patch of open space being turned into ad hoc parking and out of town drivers not used to city driving circling congested streets focused on scanning for a parking spot instead of everything else happening on the street around them. Having a central place that all of these drivers were headed to would reduce the chaos on the side streets and alleys in Wrigleyville.



Kevin C said:

Wow, lots of different moving parts in this discussion thread. I have lived in the City of Chicago for just over 30 years and as others have mentioned in this thread, Wrigleyville has been a disaster on game days for probably 15-20 of those years. As others have also suggested, I avoid Wrigley Field on game days and frankly, the neighborhood has "evolved" over the years into an area populated by bars I don't want to drink at, restaurants I don't want to eat at, and full of people I don't want to socialize with. And so I don't.

The Chicago Cubs are a unique animal in MLB in that they are not just a professional franchise, but THE TEAM that attracts more out of town visitors than any other team in major league baseball. For a lot of people around the world, making a trip to Wrigley Field is tantamount to a pilgrimage to Mecca. Don't think for a minute that the Ricketts haven't focus-grouped this fact in determining that the construction of a $200 million hotel at the corner of Clark & Addison is a financially viable-and likely profitable business venture. That hotel is not intended for Chicago residents, it's intended for the Cubs' worldwide fans, out of state fans, and probably some ticket holders from outlying suburbs.  

Ald. Tunney is elected by, and is responsible to his constituents. He has held meetings and his constituents have rightly or wrongly determined that the additional Disney-fication of Wrigleyville is going to require additional parking capacity. So be it. The proposed parking garage either will or will not bring more cars into Wrigleyville. Wrigleyville has been dead to me for at least 10 years. Why exactly should I be concerned if it becomes a little more dead?

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on April 8, 2013 at 6:44am

Yeah, I don't see people driving 5 hours for a weekend in Chicago and then heading straight to Wrigley Field for the game. Wouldn't they more likely be staying in a River North or Streeterville hotel for the weekend, and then taking the red line up anyway? That's what it seems like on the red line on game days to me, lots of suburbanites and out-of-towners (which is great to see).

 

I live right near Hotel Lincoln, which opened about a year ago. It is very popular (as is the restaurant and bar on its premises) and it has no parking garage on site. It has a valet service to a nearby garage, which I'm sure a percentage of visitors use, but I notice a lot of hotel guests arriving and departing with their luggage via taxi. While they're in town, guests seem to use a variety of means to get around, including the 151/Stockton bus to go downtown, and a lot of walking.

 

If a new hotel is built near Wrigley, I think it probably should incorporate some appropriate amount of parking intended for overnight guests, for an appropriate fee. I just don't think that a free-standing multi-story parking garage right next to Wrigley that will only be used 20% of the year would take the neighborhood in the right direction.
 
h' 1.0 said:

Are there really no models for hotels in urban centers that are successful without the expectation that they be arrived at by privately owned automobile?

I'm not sure how you can be so sure that anyone staying in a Wrigleyville wouold be "almost certain to drive there."  Got anything else t support that?

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

The out of town fans are a huge consideration when talking about the Cubs. The reality is that thanks to WGN’s super station status the Cubs have become the team of places that don’t have a team because ever since the 1980’s you could reliably watch Cubs games anywhere in the US. For these fans taking a road trip to see the Cubs and spend a few days in the big city is part of their summer vacation planning.

 

Unless we somehow get a regional transportation system that allows the fans driving in from downstate, Iowa, Indiana, and the Dakotas to leave theirs cars in their home state, these fans are going to drive to Wrigley. Having driven the first 300 miles, they’re unlikely to park in the suburbs and take Metra the last 30 miles. The ones that are staying in a Wrigleyville hotel are almost certain to drive there.

 

While I’m no fan of parking garages, I’d rather see a parking garage than the current status quo of every patch of open space being turned into ad hoc parking and out of town drivers not used to city driving circling congested streets focused on scanning for a parking spot instead of everything else happening on the street around them. Having a central place that all of these drivers were headed to would reduce the chaos on the side streets and alleys in Wrigleyville.



Kevin C said:

Wow, lots of different moving parts in this discussion thread. I have lived in the City of Chicago for just over 30 years and as others have mentioned in this thread, Wrigleyville has been a disaster on game days for probably 15-20 of those years. As others have also suggested, I avoid Wrigley Field on game days and frankly, the neighborhood has "evolved" over the years into an area populated by bars I don't want to drink at, restaurants I don't want to eat at, and full of people I don't want to socialize with. And so I don't.

The Chicago Cubs are a unique animal in MLB in that they are not just a professional franchise, but THE TEAM that attracts more out of town visitors than any other team in major league baseball. For a lot of people around the world, making a trip to Wrigley Field is tantamount to a pilgrimage to Mecca. Don't think for a minute that the Ricketts haven't focus-grouped this fact in determining that the construction of a $200 million hotel at the corner of Clark & Addison is a financially viable-and likely profitable business venture. That hotel is not intended for Chicago residents, it's intended for the Cubs' worldwide fans, out of state fans, and probably some ticket holders from outlying suburbs.  

Ald. Tunney is elected by, and is responsible to his constituents. He has held meetings and his constituents have rightly or wrongly determined that the additional Disney-fication of Wrigleyville is going to require additional parking capacity. So be it. The proposed parking garage either will or will not bring more cars into Wrigleyville. Wrigleyville has been dead to me for at least 10 years. Why exactly should I be concerned if it becomes a little more dead?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 8, 2013 at 7:09am

When I go to Wrigley on the El, or happen to be riding the El when folks are going to/from a game, I encounter a LOT of out of town visitors.  Quite a few were coming from hotels somewhere in or near downtown.  I recall having some very entertaining conversations with folks from St. Louis and Milwaukee, among other places.

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on April 8, 2013 at 7:43am

Harriet and Herky Hawkeye will, after seeing the hotel on the WGN broadcast will not only use the Hotel during the season, they will drive in from Iowa and will want to stay at this hotel which will be sold to them as fun and convenient and a great place to leave the car.   Hotel Lincoln?   Its got a hard road to travel.  Its an "old" hotel building and is the third or fourth attempt to "make a real hotel" out of what's been a historic dump.  The Cub hotel is going to be a modern new hotel that's going to appeal to Harriet and Herky.  Add in the fact that right now there are essentially no better quality mid-North side hotels... nothing to speak of between Streeterville and Evanston.. and you have a hotel that's going to be busy year round.

Urban adventurers?   Sure, the Belden-Stratford or the Hotel Lincoln.  But that's not Harriet and Herk.  And Harriet and Herk are going to hear about this hotel on the Cub broadcasts.

Add a year round high end restaurant IN wrigley overlooking the field and a hall of fame and "boom" a destination for travel.



Cameron 7.5 mi said:

A lot depends on where people are coming from. People from Milwaukee, St. Louis, or parts of downstate served by Amtrak who have affordable and convenient train options could be persuaded to take the train instead of driving in. People who have to drive an hour or more to an Amtrak station or a marginally functional airport where the tickets to Chicago could be over $400 are going to drive. The lack of regional transportation options in much of the Midwest means that many tourists will be driving to Chicago.

 

I think it's a safe bet to say that the target audience for the proposed hotel is tourists coming in for a Cubs game. Given that their lack of transportation options at home means that many of these tourists will drive, having at a minimum parking for hotel guests appears to be a necessary evil.



Michelle Stenzel said:

Yeah, I don't see people driving 5 hours for a weekend in Chicago and then heading straight to Wrigley Field for the game. Wouldn't they more likely be staying in a River North or Streeterville hotel for the weekend, and then taking the red line up anyway? That's what it seems like on the red line on game days to me, lots of suburbanites and out-of-towners (which is great to see).

 

I live right near Hotel Lincoln, which opened about a year ago. It is very popular (as is the restaurant and bar on its premises) and it has no parking garage on site. It has a valet service to a nearby garage, which I'm sure a percentage of visitors use, but I notice a lot of hotel guests arriving and departing with their luggage via taxi. While they're in town, guests seem to use a variety of means to get around, including the 151/Stockton bus to go downtown, and a lot of walking.

 

If a new hotel is built near Wrigley, I think it probably should incorporate some appropriate amount of parking intended for overnight guests, for an appropriate fee. I just don't think that a free-standing multi-story parking garage right next to Wrigley that will only be used 20% of the year would take the neighborhood in the right direction.
 

Permalink Reply by Suzanne on April 8, 2013 at 7:54am

Good comments.  The proposed parking garage is being requested for Wrigley Field, not for the hotel.  The hotel is 176 rooms; a garage, something like 600 to 1,000 spaces.  Lee is right, Alderman Tunney has been asking for parking as part of negotiations.  Interestingly, developers usually prefer not to build parking unless required to do so.

Permalink Reply by Davo on April 8, 2013 at 8:25am

I would guess because they are probably taxed on the lot space. A developer would only "want" to be taxed on the smallest amount of space possible. They probably wouldn't make as much money on parking spaces vs more hotel rooms, a bar, a restaurant ect.... but they are taxed on the amount of space they own.

Suzanne said:

Good comments.  The proposed parking garage is being requested for Wrigley Field, not for the hotel.  The hotel is 176 rooms; a garage, something like 600 to 1,000 spaces.  Lee is right, Alderman Tunney has been asking for parking as part of negotiations.  Interestingly, developers usually prefer not to build parking unless required to do so.

Permalink Reply by Jason W on April 8, 2013 at 10:41am

The "fabric of the neighborhood" is a drunken shit show with tourists everywhere.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

That's probably true, but we shouldn't be destroying the fabric of the neighborhood for people who don't even live in it. Catering to tourists while neglecting the residents is a big smack in the face.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on April 8, 2013 at 10:46am

+1 who cares about a bunch of overpaid juicers kicking a ball around.

Jason said:

The "fabric of the neighborhood" is a drunken shit show with tourists everywhere.


Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 8, 2013 at 10:52am

I wonder how you would describe the "fabric of the neighborhood" that you live in.

Jason said:

The "fabric of the neighborhood" is a drunken shit show with tourists everywhere.

Permalink Reply by Davo on April 8, 2013 at 11:25am

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