Chicago White Sox home plans at ‘The 78’

Article posted by Coliseum, January 23^rd, 2024

Image: Related Midwest and Chicago White Sox

Renderings have surfaced for a potential new stadium for the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Chicago White Sox at ‘The 78’ site in Chicago (US).

‘URBANIZE’ stated that recent reports have brought to light the fact that the White Sox are negotiating with the developer Related Midwest about the possibility of building a new stadium on the 62-acre South Loop property (also known as ‘The 78’).

The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago (US). The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and plays its home games at the Guaranteed Rate Field, located on Chicago’s South Side.

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Jim Willits, VP of Sales & Service, Chicago White Sox, US, is a Member of Coliseum – Global Sports Venue Alliance.

The 40,615-capacity Guaranteed Rate Field, formerly the Comiskey Park and U.S. Cellular Field, is a baseball stadium located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the MLB team Chicago White Sox.

The Related Midwest is a Chicago (US)-based developer of luxury condominiums, rental homes and mixed-use properties. It is also the largest developer of affordable housing in the Midwest, with more than 10,000 units.

‘The 78’ is a 62-acre mixed-use development in Chicago (US) that will include office and residential towers, a riverwalk and outdoor recreational space. The development is located on the former railroad property along the South Branch of the Chicago River in the Near South Side community area.

‘The 78’ is a transit-oriented development that will extend Chicago’s Central Business District. It will be highly accessible from streets and waterways, and will feature new water taxi stops, bike lanes and pedestrian-friendly streets. The 78 is the largest and most ambitious real estate development in Chicago history. The name ‘The 78’ refers to the existing 77 community areas in Chicago and the megadevelopment is to increase that number by one.

‘URBANIZE’ further stated that originally approved as a multitower, mixed-use megadevelopment in 2020, the new conceptual renderings show the proposed stadium structure anchoring the high-rise district. With home plate at the Southwest corner, the stadium wraps around the field primarily on the West and the South sides, with a large video screen overlooking a large plaza to the North.

The renderings show the Wells-Wentworth Connector reconfigured to bend around the stadium, with a new public plaza along the Chicago River. A newly configured series of towers rise around the stadium, likely a mix of office and residential uses. The Discovery Partners Institute building can be seen in the largest scale overall rendering at the South end of the site.

Earlier in 2023, it was reported that Jerry Reinsdorf, Owner of the White Sox, was considering a move from the Guaranteed Rate Field as their lease ends after the 2029 season. While the future of the team’s home is unclear, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which owns and financed the Guaranteed Rate Field, has reportedly not been involved in the discussions.

The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA) is a Government agency that was established in 1987 to build and renovate sports stadiums for Illinois’ professional sports teams.

The megadevelopment by Related Midwest has stalled with nothing moving forward on the site as of yet. The Discovery Partners Institute would be the first tenant of the large parcel, with their building set to break ground this year. As the developer continues its search for funding and users, landing the White Sox would be a shot in the arm for moving the development forward. Efforts to develop the City’s first casino on the property fell through when the former Mayor of Chicago, Lori Elaine Lightfoot, chose Bally’s proposal at the former Tribune site.

The Bally’s Corporation is a gaming, betting and interactive entertainment company headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island (US). It owns and operates 15 casinos across 10 States, a horse track in Colorado and online sports betting operations in 14 States. The company was founded in 2004 as the BLB Investors.

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