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The Move to Arlington Heights - Official Thread


beardown3231

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41 minutes ago, Epyon said:

Even more than the stadium... The Arlington Heights plans had them basically building their own Wrigleyville that the team would own too. That'd immediately become one of, if not the, best bar locations in the Chicagoland area. And again all team owned.

I have to think they could turn around and flip that AH land in smaller parcels for a pretty significant profit if they do end up building in Chicago.

Ultimately I don’t really care where it is - neither is super convenient for me. I just want a state of the art stadium. The bigger thing to come out today IMO was this:

If they indeed are building at the current Soldier Field site that probably means another multi year temporary displacement. Would they go to Champaign again? Maybe the new Northwestern field? The updated NW facility will hold just 35k but it’s more conveniently located. Memorial Stadium holds 60k. If they could swing it, Notre Dame Stadium holds nearly 80k. 

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54 minutes ago, Epyon said:

Even more than the stadium... The Arlington Heights plans had them basically building their own Wrigleyville that the team would own too. That'd immediately become one of, if not the, best bar locations in the Chicagoland area. And again all team owned.

Actually laughed aloud at that, but it's a great way to think of this from the business point of view.  The ancillary stuff like hotels, bars, restaurants "Bears museum" or whatever is probably internally jsut as important as the stadium itself.  Year round revenue, hosting concerts etc makes AH or similar owned property the right call.  McCaskeyville? 

Still think it gets done in AH, and if they do it right it's going to change sports facilities forever. 

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2 hours ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

I for one still don't buy it, and think this is just a leverage play to bend AH over a bit. Hopefully Warren is able to insulate George from having an opinion or trying to make a decision. 

If you want to imagine the challenges of the current Soldier Field are, just look at how narrow the proposed spot is on google maps.  I was driving by it on Sunday and my buddy reminded me how we bailed out of a taxi on LSD to get there last time we went to a game. Now, if you wanted to take over the US Steel South Works area you could really have something with future upside.  Not sure how superfund type rules apply if it's not going to be residential, but that would actually be worth exploring.  

Dude

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2 hours ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

I for one still don't buy it, and think this is just a leverage play to bend AH over a bit. Hopefully Warren is able to insulate George from having an opinion or trying to make a decision. 

If you want to imagine the challenges of the current Soldier Field are, just look at how narrow the proposed spot is on google maps.  I was driving by it on Sunday and my buddy reminded me how we bailed out of a taxi on LSD to get there last time we went to a game. Now, if you wanted to take over the US Steel South Works area you could really have something with future upside.  Not sure how superfund type rules apply if it's not going to be residential, but that would actually be worth exploring.  

Do you have a link to that? 

Are they talking about building next to Soldier Field?  Wouldn't they have to tear down Soldier Field to make space? 

What about the columns and all that? 

 

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13 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

Do you have a link to that? 

Are they talking about building next to Soldier Field?  Wouldn't they have to tear down Soldier Field to make space? 

What about the columns and all that? 

 

I peeked around online and couldn't find anybody specifically mentioning where in the area it's going to be, but I had heard the nearer of two lots was the site they were surveying.  That gives you parking to the north and south of the stadium but not room for much else.  

No idea on the specifics of moving features from one stadium to the other,  I still suspect it's not going to ever matter! 

 

 

 

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Just now, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

I peeked around online and couldn't find anybody specifically mentioning where in the area it's going to be, but I had heard the nearer of two lots was the site they were surveying.  That gives you parking to the north and south of the stadium but not room for much else.  

No idea on the specifics of moving features from one stadium to the other,  I still suspect it's not going to ever matter! 

 

 

 

You can't move the columns to another site.  I am just saying demolishing the columns is why they built it the really stupid way it is now.

I mean they put a weird looking new age bowl within classical architecture.  It was a bizarre compromise.   But money is money I guess.  Bears needed to make more from stadium at time or find a new place to live.  

They had to reach over top of the columns with cranes and what not.  Leaving them intact.

 

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4 minutes ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

I peeked around online and couldn't find anybody specifically mentioning where in the area it's going to be, but I had heard the nearer of two lots was the site they were surveying.  That gives you parking to the north and south of the stadium but not room for much else.  

No idea on the specifics of moving features from one stadium to the other,  I still suspect it's not going to ever matter! 

 

 

 

There isn't room with the stadium sitting there.  There is barely room for current stadium.

 

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9 minutes ago, dll2000 said:

There isn't room with the stadium sitting there.  There is barely room for current stadium.

 

I'm not arguing, at all.  I think if you're going to use that site you're claiming all kinds of other spaces to stage stuff.  Think the cops would be happy with demolishing the gold star park? Seeya sled hill. And before someone suggests it you can really get barges in there either.  You're in real estate, what percentage do you think it would add just to build a) in a city vs AH b) on a totally constrained site, bordered by a major highway, a harbor and a busy museum campus?  I have a client who builds hospitals, and no joke he said it costs twice as much to build the same facility in town vs out in Elmhurst. 

And architecturally current Soldier Field is most charitably described as "unique"  Honestly it wasn't pretty before.

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2 minutes ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

I'm not arguing, at all.  I think if you're going to use that site you're claiming all kinds of other spaces to stage stuff.  Think the cops would be happy with demolishing the gold star park? Seeya sled hill. And before someone suggests it you can really get barges in there either.  You're in real estate, what percentage do you think it would add just to build a) in a city vs AH b) on a totally constrained site, bordered by a major highway, a harbor and a busy museum campus?  I have a client who builds hospitals, and no joke he said it costs twice as much to build the same facility in town vs out in Elmhurst. 

And architecturally current Soldier Field is most charitably described as "unique"  Honestly it wasn't pretty before.

I have an example.

Milwaukee Brewer stadium and the renovations to Soldier Field were done roughly around same period.

Compare the costs of the two and the results.

One is a brand new state of art stadium (at time) with a retractable roof (and those things are crazy expensive pieces of engineering).  Other is bowl with seats and some more suites plopped inside some columns, that was waaaay more expensive.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/26/2024 at 10:05 AM, dll2000 said:

One is a brand new state of art stadium (at time) with a retractable roof (and those things are crazy expensive pieces of engineering).

Side bar, I HATE attending games in Milwaukee when they have the roof closed. It’s like playing baseball in a bowling alley with the awful acoustics and the pumped in air

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3 minutes ago, StLunatic88 said:

Side bar, I HATE attending games in Milwaukee when they have the roof closed. It’s like playing baseball in a bowling alley with the awful acoustics and the pumped in air

Probably better than Wrigley in April in shade with a good Lake breeze on you.  

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1 hour ago, StLunatic88 said:

Side bar, I HATE attending games in Milwaukee when they have the roof closed. It’s like playing baseball in a bowling alley with the awful acoustics and the pumped in air

Might just be a Milwaukee thing. When I lived in AZ I went to Chase Field (then Bank One Ballpark) probably 30 times with the roof closed and it was fine. I had season tix for the inaugural season of the Cardinals’ stadium too and felt the same. For football I actually prefer a domed stadium, both for comfort and because it’s FRIGGIN’ LOUD. Sound is more of a true home field advantage to me than (bad) weather because unless your stadium has a huge road team contingent of fans it’s usually only adverse to one team. 

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