City Hall Wants Cubs, Rooftops Deal Done This Week

Things appear to be moving quickly between the Cubs and owners of 16 rooftop clubs across from Wrigley Field, according to the Tribune, quoting Ald. Tom Tunney:

"They are trying to put something together by the end of the week," said Tunney, 44th, the longtime Wrigleyville alderman. "It's hard to corral all the interested parties."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has urged the Cubs, owned by the Ricketts family, and the owners of 16 rooftop clubs to come to an agreement so a much bigger rehab deal can get done. The pressure comes amid talk that an ordinance to increase the number of night games and concerts could be introduced at the next council meeting on Wednesday.

The Cubs and rooftop representatives met separately with administration officials at City Hall today -- a day after the two sides met face to face, sources said.

This, after the Cubs seemed to dismiss a previous proposal from the rooftop club owners to put advertising signs on their buildings and give the Cubs all the revenue, in exchange for an extension of their current deal with the team, which runs through 2023.

None of this addresses the other offer the Cubs have made, which is to pay for a $300 million restoration of Wrigley Field, if the city is willing to ease some of the restrictions currently on the team, such as advertising in the park and the night-game limit of 30 dates per season. As noted above, the City Council could be taking those issues up as soon as this week. This could get real interesting, real soon. Stay tuned.