CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Friends of the Parks (FOTP) is urging the city to slow down on the Bears’ lakefront stadium proposal.
Eight years ago the group stopped another development along the lakefront. Now, FOTP is feeling alarm and frustration over the plans it characterizes as “the wealthy and powerful grabbing land that belongs to the public trust.”
In a statement, the nonprofit said it’s been calling for things to slow down, saying the Bears are asking the City to move quickly while residents are still waiting for things like public housing, park facilities and other projects.
The group wants to know what other sites the team considered and what prevented them from proceeding there.
“Violating the public trust doctrine should require a rigorous vetting process for alternatives,” Friends of the Park said in their statement.
A city ordinance prohibits private development east of DuSable Lake Shore Drive. But, Mayor Johnson told reporters Wednesday at Soldier Field that he is confident a new lakefront stadium would not violate that rule.
“Bringing the open space better access to the museums, providing better traffic flow, in and out, creating jobs, making opportunities for our young people, that of the vision that I have for the city of Chicago is very much tethered to Burnham ,” Johnson said.
The mayor was referring to the late architect Daniel Burnham.
Johnson was also hit with questions about the potential for lawsuits from Friends of the Parks, who previously sued to help prevent a George Lucas lakefront museum.
“What we're preparing to do is continue to invest in people,” the mayor said. “We’re prepared to put 23,000, 24,000 people in the city of Chicago to work.”
Here is the full statement from Friends of the Park:
The "Chicago Way" was on full display at the Chicago Bears news conference today. Once again, Chicago taxpayers are being told what is good for them. We are told that a new domed stadium on protected lakefront land will make Chicago a great city. We are already a great city—in large part due to our protected lakefront. As is so often the case in Chicago, the powerful and wealthy are demanding that our entire city stop and fast track their plans to expand operations on the people’s lakefront.
Meanwhile, the communities we work with who are addressing immigrant issues, homelessness, school closures, affordable housing, public safety, equitable transportation, and lack of jobs are fighting for parity--including at our Chicago Park District parks.
We are all being asked to trust the process and accept that it will, in fact, be Bear-a-dice. Yet, Chicago has a long history of, closed-door planning and rushed decision-making that does not end well for taxpayers. Just look at The Lincoln Yards, The 78, a Chicago casino, and the infamous parking meter deal. Each of these was going to make Chicago into a "world class" city and be a "win-win-win" for residents.
The questions everyone needs to ask of the Bears organization and our elected officials are:
What is the actual rush? Do rushed processes in Chicago ever end well? Our city takes decades to build a grocery store in a food desert, but we are being asked to jump as high as the Bears tell us to and fast. Yet, Bronzeville, home to the former Ida B. Wells Projects, and other public housing sites that were promised replacement housing after their communities were demolished in the early 2000s, are still empty in 2024.
What about the other parks in Chicago that have waited for equitable investment in their communities? Does a rushed process for an NFL team make more sense than, say, rushing the restoration of a South Side field house? Or expansion of programs to meet demands in North Lawndale? Or restoration of obsolete equipment across the city?
What other sites were vetted by the Bears and the City of Chicago, and what was the specific decision not to proceed with each of those sites? Violating the public trust doctrine should require a rigorous vetting process for alternatives.
What about Soldier Field? First, its history was all but obliterated with public funds, which we are still paying off, but now it is set for demolition? What message are we sending to our veterans and their families?
How does this plan demonstrate an investment in the people that Mayor Johnson promised to Chicago when he ran for office? How have the people been engaged in dialogue throughout this process? What is the process? Is it transparent? Is it inclusive? It is honest?
Why does it always come down to “we want our playground on the lake, or we will go somewhere else?” Is that fair to the rest of Chicago? It’s business as usual to have wealth and power dictating public policy, but is that a best practice for Chicago to follow?
It is a good business practice to trust and verify. It is sound business practice for the city of Chicago to hire independent contractors to objectively assess the economic impact the Bears have had since their bond deal in the early 2000s, which we are still paying off today. And to evaluate the return on investment if we put billions into this project directly or indirectly. What level of permanent jobs will this plan generate? Are they trade jobs with a track for career development?
Does it seem reasonable that the Chicago Bears should get their wants satisfied immediately while poor neighborhoods suffer from benign neglect?
We have seen no evidence of broad-based community engagement or community-led planning. We look forward to asking our questions about process to the stakeholders who participated with the Bears leadership at today’s news conference.
This is a time for some thoughtful, deliberate and civic engagement. A civil, community-driven conversation should be at the forefront of any action the city of Chicago takes regarding the lakefront.
We did not hear anything at the Bears news conference that could not take place at another Chicago location. We have too many questions to make any decision about the value of these plans. We encourage the Bears and the administration to act with "honor, integrity, transparency, wisdom and to be forward thinking and collaborative" and not repeat past mistakes.
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