If ever there was a "pound the square peg into the round hole" moment for Kevin Warren it is this Lakefront fixation - now on a location that is faux-lakefront. How do the Bears manage to find these "square peg guys" so often? Coaches, GMs and now the CEO/President. It is disheartening for sure.
If the city wants to keep the Bears in the city, they'll need to open up some really prime real estate. Somewhere near existing mass transit and expressway access. Somewhere you can walk to/from food/drink/entertainment with a relatively decent level of personal safety. Unfortunately, to do that the city would have to go down the "imminent domain" path. And that would get very contentious and ugly. IMO something that will never happen.
If the city wants to keep the Bears in the city, they'll need to open up some really prime real estate. Somewhere near existing mass transit and expressway access. Somewhere you can walk to/from food/drink/entertainment with a relatively decent level of personal safety. Unfortunately, to do that the city would have to go down the "imminent domain" path. And that would get very contentious and ugly. IMO something that will never happen.
They could move to Vermont....
LOL, but honestly I would feel more comfortable in Arlington Heights than downtown Chicago. Even the logistics of attending a game there should be better than the downtown experience as it is now.
If the city wants to keep the Bears in the city, they'll need to open up some really prime real estate. Somewhere near existing mass transit and expressway access. Somewhere you can walk to/from food/drink/entertainment with a relatively decent level of personal safety. Unfortunately, to do that the city would have to go down the "imminent domain" path. And that would get very contentious and ugly. IMO something that will never happen.
They could move to Vermont....
Or just build in Arlington Heights. It has a very large suburban commuter railway station, three parallel tracks so you can be loading up 2 trains to go back downtown and loading one to go further northwest at the same time. By a large station I mean they can be loading passengers on 15-passenger car trains with all the doors open on the platform. All going on simultaneously.
There is a large N-S expressway with two full interchanges (one just NW of the new stadium and one just SW). And access roads for automobile traffic in and out of the site, already with traffic lights.
I just wish they would quit messing around and just get it done.
My apologies for the scope creep on this thread but if the McCaskey's do this, they could sell the team for several billions. Hopefully to someone who can build a championship team
Or just build in Arlington Heights. It has a very large suburban commuter railway station, three parallel tracks so you can be loading up 2 trains to go back downtown and loading one to go further northwest at the same time. By a large station I mean they can be loading passengers on 15-passenger car trains with all the doors open on the platform. All going on simultaneously.
There is a large N-S expressway with two full interchanges (one just NW of the new stadium and one just SW). And access roads for automobile traffic in and out of the site, already with traffic lights.
I just wish they would quit messing around and just get it done.
My apologies for the scope creep on this thread but if the McCaskey's do this, they could sell the team for several billions. Hopefully to someone who can build a championship team
Or just build in Arlington Heights. It has a very large suburban commuter railway station, three parallel tracks so you can be loading up 2 trains to go back downtown and loading one to go further northwest at the same time. By a large station I mean they can be loading passengers on 15-passenger car trains with all the doors open on the platform. All going on simultaneously.
There is a large N-S expressway with two full interchanges (one just NW of the new stadium and one just SW). And access roads for automobile traffic in and out of the site, already with traffic lights.
I just wish they would quit messing around and just get it done.
My apologies for the scope creep on this thread but if the McCaskey's do this, they could sell the team for several billions. Hopefully to someone who can build a championship team
Now there's a concept
And why on earth did the McCaskeys buy the Arlington Heights property if they couldn't pay the taxes on it? How does that happen? Everything the McCaskeys touch is screwed up. LOL, at the weed infested former southside hospital site... I'm wondering if we'll see yet another fancy "concept video" of the hospital stadium proposal like we were given for AH and the Lakefront proposals? Kevin Warren can do his softshoe tapdance again and do his song & dance schtick about the weedpatch being the most magnificent view in America again (dude must not travel much).
The longer this drags on, with the backdrop of the clownshow with the team itself - the worse the look is for the family.
And why on earth did the McCaskeys buy the Arlington Heights property if they couldn't pay the taxes on it? How does that happen? Everything the McCaskeys touch is screwed up. LOL, at the weed infested former southside hospital site... I'm wondering if we'll see yet another fancy "concept video" of the hospital stadium proposal like we were given for AH and the Lakefront proposals? Kevin Warren can do his softshoe tapdance again and do his song & dance schtick about the weedpatch being the most magnificent view in America again (dude must not travel much).
The longer this drags on, with the backdrop of the clownshow with the team itself - the worse the look is for the family.
I don't think that's the case. I think like all rich guys, they don't want to pay taxes at all. But most probably they just don't want to be taken advantage of and are trying to get the best deal. At this point, Warrens insistence on staying in the city is going to net him a third rate site. Just freaking focus on AH already
And why on earth did the McCaskeys buy the Arlington Heights property if they couldn't pay the taxes on it? How does that happen? Everything the McCaskeys touch is screwed up. LOL, at the weed infested former southside hospital site... I'm wondering if we'll see yet another fancy "concept video" of the hospital stadium proposal like we were given for AH and the Lakefront proposals? Kevin Warren can do his softshoe tapdance again and do his song & dance schtick about the weedpatch being the most magnificent view in America again (dude must not travel much).
The longer this drags on, with the backdrop of the clownshow with the team itself - the worse the look is for the family.
I like the idea you mentioned of a "hospital stadium". Kind of a all-in-one hybrid facility not seen anywhere else.
That way Tevin Jenkins and Nate Davis (bring him back for sure!) don't have far to go every week. They never need to leave.
And why on earth did the McCaskeys buy the Arlington Heights property if they couldn't pay the taxes on it? How does that happen? Everything the McCaskeys touch is screwed up. LOL, at the weed infested former southside hospital site... I'm wondering if we'll see yet another fancy "concept video" of the hospital stadium proposal like we were given for AH and the Lakefront proposals? Kevin Warren can do his softshoe tapdance again and do his song & dance schtick about the weedpatch being the most magnificent view in America again (dude must not travel much).
The longer this drags on, with the backdrop of the clownshow with the team itself - the worse the look is for the family.
I like the idea you mentioned of a "hospital stadium". Kind of a all-in-one hybrid facility not seen anywhere else.
That way Tevin Jenkins and Nate Davis (bring him back for sure!) don't have far to go every week. They never need to leave.
And their insurance policies will cover their salary - Inpatient Therapy. It's a win-win!
I am starting to understand that Warren is fundamentally a dedicated urbanist. He views this as a Lakefront site (even if you can't see the lake from anywhere on the site itself). And I am sure he wants to help revitalize a blighted area in the city.
I believe it is called Upper Lakefront. Sounds very appealing.
I'm very familiar with the location of that property. I went to school about a mile away from there (Illinois Institue of Technology). That site is way too small for a NFL class stadium (seating somewhere in the 70,000 to 75,000 range) with parking for 15,000 to 25,000 cars.
The only convenient public transport is the Metra Electric 27th Street station. These trains terminate at the old Illinois Central station just east of Michigan Avenue at the Chicago River in downtown. They also go further south and east and service the far southern suburbs of Chicago. All of the mainstream Chicago public transit uses either the 35th Street stop on the Dan Ryan subway (CTA Red Line) that runs down the middle of I-90 or the 35th Street stop on the CTA Green Line "El". Both are a bit over a mile walk from the old Michael Reese Hospital site.
There is not much to do around the site. The neighborhood is called Bronzeville and has been seriously blighted since the 1950s. Getting from the more populated parts of the Chicago metropolitan area to this site are even more difficult that getting to Soldier Field.
I am starting to understand that Warren is fundamentally a dedicated urbanist. He views this as a Lakefront site (even if you can't see the lake from anywhere on the site itself). And I am sure he wants to help revitalize a blighted area in the city.
But the problem with doing something in the City of Chicago is that it is in the City of Chicago. The city has been hemorrhaging population for 60+ years. Chicago's peak population was somewhere between 3.7 and 4.0 million in the late 50's. The current census estimates are now at or below 2.5 million. The suburbs comprise something between 2/3 and 3/4 of the metropolitan area population. The suburbs have a significant majority of the folks who can afford to buy the tickets.
I just don't see this as a viable alternative.
I have come to the same conclusion. However, right now I'd like for him to be a capitalist and do the right thing for the team.
