Wrigley Hotel, Plaza Approved with Tunney’s Support

The Chicago Plan Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve the proposed hotel, office building and triangle plaza development outside Wrigley Field, with Ald. Tom Tunney surprisingly giving his support of the project.

“Through months of negotiations and discussions, we now have arrived at the point where I have no objections to this project,” Tunney wrote in his newsletter and recited in City Hall.

The move is unexpected after Wednesday night’s “Wrigley Rally” where neighbors gathered to demand changes to the proposed development, specifically to the hotel’s entrance on Patterson Avenue and the bridge over Clark Street.

Tunney was in attendance giving his support of the neighbors’ opinions, but both of the sticking points were only addressed during the hearing. The Cubs say they are considering changes to the bridge and location of the hotel entrance, but are moving forward as planned. 

“Collectively we are making progress,” Tunney wrote in a statement. “As I requested in a June 26 letter, the Cubs have now agreed to discuss moving the entrance to the hotel from a purely residential street, Patterson, to Addison or Clark and have agreed that there will be no portico or beer garden over Patterson. As people saw last evening and heard at the hearing today, these are key issues for the residents of the area and their quality of life.”

The Ricketts Family and Chicago Cubs plan call for a 175-room hotel at the corner of Clark and Addison streets, a 6-story office building and Triangle Plaza just west of Wrigley Field.

The project still must be approved by the zoning board and City Council before construction begins.