“All we really need is to be able to run our business like a business and not a museum.”

May 1st, 2013

An interesting property dispute is brewing on West Addison Street in Chicago. The owner of the Cubs wants to renovate the century-old stadium, and install advertisements in the outfield. These ads would help fund the renovations, and avoid having to dip into tax-payer dollars. But an association of property owners across the street, who sell roof-top tickets during games, oppose this construction–and they have some sort of contract guaranteeing access to that view.

The owner of the Cubs is frustrated with the opposition to these changes, and has threatened to move to team out to O’Hare.

This bit in particular stuck out:

Ricketts presented an architectural rendering of the video screen during his speech to the City Club of Chicago and insisted it would have minimal if any impact on the views. He said without such signage, the team was losing out on $20 million a year in ad revenue — essential for helping fund extensive renovations without dipping into taxpayer funds.

“All we really need is to be able to run our business like a business and not a museum,” Ricketts told the audience.

All too often in land-use disputes, businesses are expected to think first about aesthetics, and profit second. Let’s see  how this plays out.