Fran Spielman of the Sun-Times reports on a deal on the Wrigley Field plaza that the Cubs aren't happy about:
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has brokered a deal that would allow the Cubs to sell beer and wine at an open-air plaza adjacent to Wrigley Field, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned, but the team says it won’t accept it. “We are miles from a deal that includes these terms,” Cubs spokesman Julian Green said. “None of these terms are reasonable when you’re trying to invest $750 million. The city should look at the ordinance from 2013, which was the deal. That should be the framework for anything going forward.” A top mayoral aide, who spoke on the condition of not being named, shot back, “Negotiations are over.”
As noted in this BCB article 10 days ago, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) was trying to put together an ordinance that had more restrictions on the plaza use than the Cubs wanted, and had apparently agreed to three years ago (as noted in Julian Green's statement above). Here, according to Spielman, are the terms the Cubs will have to live with (unless negotiations continue, which they certainly could despite the "negotiations are over" statement made by that "mayoral aide"):
Liquor sales would be limited to beer and wine, sold only during “stadium events” such as games and concerts and at a maximum of 12 special events a year, each requiring a special permit. On game and stadium concert days, attendance at the open-air plaza would be limited to fans with tickets. During day games, beer and wine sales would start two hours before the game and stop one hour after and would have to be consumed on the plaza or inside the stadium. During night games, the beer and wine spigot would turn on two hours before the game and off when the game ends. Liquor sales during the handful of Wrigley concerts and the dozen special events would start when the festivities begin and end one hour before they end.
According to the article, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts is OK with some of these restrictions, but not all of them:
Ricketts has offered to limit liquor sales to beer and wine but, beyond that, said last week he’s through negotiating. “It’s our property,” Ricketts said. “It’s what we negotiate. “We want to get back to where we were — to the deal we all agreed to a few years ago. Other than that, I don’t think I should have to accept anything.”
So despite the "negotiations are over" statements here, somehow I doubt this is the final word on the city and the Cubs talking about how the plaza will be used. There's always room for movement in these sorts of negotiations. I'm reasonably certain we'll hear more about this before anything is finalized.