WRIGLEYVILLE — The Cubs, rooftop owners and Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) got a taste of a new Wrigley Field Tuesday — or at least what a new videoboard and outfield sign might look like.
The team erected mock-ups of a potential 6,000-square-foot video screen in left field and a 1,000-square-foot ad in right field. Both are elements that Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said the team needs to stay in Lakeview.
The one-word reaction out of at least one rooftop owner and Tunney was the same: "Big."
Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bleachers, a rooftop building at Sheffield and Waveland, said all the rooftop owners showed up to view the mock-ups.
The owners must reconvene to talk about what they saw, but it was clear the into-the-ballpark views of buildings along Sheffield beyond right field would be affected more even though the sign is smaller than the proposed video screen in left field.
It was also clear that the proposed screen will be large. But it would impact fewer views because of a gap in the rooftops buildings along Waveland caused by the T-intersection with Kenmore Avenue.
Tunney said that right field sign would probably affect more buildings and that the video screen would clearly be sizeable: "It's big," he said.
Ricketts said "it looked fine," saying it was similar to the renderings the team had released earlier this year.
"We'll work with folks to make sure there isn't any more drama," he said.
The Cubs have been trying to ease restrictions on the field to move forward on a $500 million renovation of the field and development of the area outside the field. A sticking point has been changing the landmarking in the field to add the signs.
Previously, Ricketts has said the team would have to consider leaving Wrigley Field if they can't get proper signage.
Tunney said it was still just a proposal and people would have to see how it works out. The team submitted a proposal to the city at the beginning of the month and hopes to start construction in this year's offseason. The planned development must still be vetted through a variety of city committees, including the Plan commission and Landmarks commission.
A rooftops spokesman released a statement later in the day saying that while they appreciate the Cubs putting up mock signs, the rooftops' original idea to places signs on the rooftop buildings would not block anybody's views.
But Ricketts said he's confident the team will meet the necessary provisions to move forward, he said.
"We're not panicking," he said.
The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the team's day-to-day operations.
