Wrigley Field security upgrades advance — and an MLB All-Star Game in Chicago could follow

Chicago Tribune

6 hours ago

Wider sidewalks and new security bollards could soon come to Wrigley Field after aldermen advanced a ballpark security plan Monday.
But the new $32.1 million package set to face a final City Council vote Wednesday could bring far more than added safety to the Friendly Confines.
Wrigleyville Ald. Bennett Lawson, 44th, hopes the security upgrades funded by a mix of team, city and state money will also help the Cubs land a Major League Baseball All-Star Game. MLB has long requested the improvements in All-Star game discussions, Lawson said.
'The city saw the need to do our part, and the state of course, to facilitate that,' Lawson said late last month. 'I'll let MLB and the Cubs share more details on that news when it happens.'
In addition to security bollard installation, the plan that advanced unanimously in the City Council's Zoning Committee Monday would widen sidewalks on Addison Street by four feet and settle a land dispute between the team and the city over a Waveland Avenue parking lot by moving fencing to widen a narrow alleyway.
And to pay for the deal, the state plans to pay $12 million, the city will chip in up to $10 million and the team will cover an $8 million chunk, plus any cost overruns and long-term maintenance work.
Chicago Cubs deny report that All-Star Game is headed to Wrigley Field in 2027: 'No decision has been made'Lawson called the plan the 'final piece' of Wrigley Field's gradual redevelopment. The wider sidewalks and bollards will provide 'a little bit of breathing room' for fans walking around the ballpark and loading onto buses, he said.
'Day-to-day operations, this helps improve the security in the area,' Lawson said. 'And my understanding is it does factor in when MLB is considering the All-Star game.'
Lawson said he has heard 'nothing official' about the game coming to Chicago, but added that he thinks investments by the team's owners, the Ricketts family, should put the team in line for the baseball festivities.
Ricketts family spokesperson Dennis Culloton said that even though the likely-to-come security upgrades might help check off a final box to land an all-star game, the plan is 'about one thing and one thing only,' public safety.
'Making the community safer is important to the entire city,' he said. 'It's beneficial for more than just a baseball game.'
Cubs spokesperson Jennifer Martinez-Roth said the plan 'would mean enhanced safety around the ballpark, which is important to us, our fans and visitors alike.'
Asked about the potential of an all-star game, she said, 'While we are hopeful, MLB has not made a decision.'
League officials typically announce where future all-star games will be played in July, around the same time as the all-star weekend unfolds each year.
The team has long sought to bring the game to Chicago, and their push has played out everywhere from radio reports to the mayor's phone in the last year.
In February 2024, Mayor Brandon Johnson got a text from his business community liaison Charles Smith letting the mayor know Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts wanted a meeting, according to records obtained by the Tribune via the Freedom of Information Act.
'Also about all star game – I think it's pretty much a done deal,' Smith, vice chair of World Business Chicago, texted Johnson, a lifelong fan of the North Siders.
Last month, it seemed the stars had finally aligned for the team and city when WSCR-AM 670 reported the MLB awarded the 2027 All-Star Game to the Cubs. But the team quickly denied the report from their flagship radio station, telling the Tribune 'no decision has been made.'