CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- It's back to the drawing board for the developer of the huge Lincoln Yards project now that the neighborhood's alderman knocked out two key components of the redevelopment project.
Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd Ward, said Tuesday he’s a soccer fan, but he can’t support a 20,000-seat stadium, a key part of the Lincoln Yards plan as previously drawn.
“Even at their best, we didn’t think that two new bridges over the river and intersection improvements and a new transit station were going to be able to accommodate a soccer stadium in such a way that netted out in a positive way for the community,” he said.
Wrigley Field shows why it won’t work, the alderman said.
Hopkins said he also opposed an entertainment zone under concert mega-promoter Live Nation because it could have a negative impact on independent music venues.
He wants park space and scattered entertainment sites instead, he said.
How is up to developer Sterling Bay, he said.