LAKEVIEW — It didn't take long for residents with East Lake View Neighbors to reach a consensus about an idea for a patio over Sheffield as an extension of Wrigley Field's right field.
They don't like it.
"We're not happy campers about anything over Sheffield," said Chester Kropidlowski, the group's chair.
The planned development approved by City Council two weeks ago allowed the Cubs to move right field back eight feet onto Sheffield. In the eleventh hour, rooftop owners suggested creating a patio over Sheffield to move a 650-square-foot right field sign back and keep it from blocking views.
It would require an additional eight feet of Sheffield.
The Cubs created their own rendering of the proposed patio, too, but with little time before the city's vote, the idea was tabled for further community involvement.
East Lake View Neighbors — and Ald. Tom Tunney's (44th) chief of staff Bennett Lawson — attended Tuesday's meeting expecting that community feedback process to start.
But Cubs Vice President of Community Affaris Julian Green, who is also on the board of East Lake View Neighbors, said "it's only an idea" and not yet a full-blown proposal. The planned development was approved just two weeks ago, and the team has not yet "fully baked" the patio plan.
"Everyone's trying to at least take a step back, take a pause," Green said.
That didn't stop neighbors from making sure Green and Lawson knew what they thought.
A patio would create a tunnel, said resident Jim Spencer, and Beth Murphy, owner of Murphy's Bleachers and a group board member, wanted to know what would happen to buses once a lane is lost on Sheffield.
It's an eyesore and would destroy business balance in the area, another neighbor said.
Tunney is also concerned about drinking over a public way with a patio and has not yet voiced his support, Lawson said.
"You want to know what we want?" said resident Terie Kata. "Leave Sheffield the hell alone."
Green said once the team more fully develops the idea, they will present it to Tunney's Community Directed Development Council and then to community groups for formal feedback. It's an alternative to the deferred — and much maligned — bridge over Clark Street.
The team refuses to order the steel for upgrades until a solution is worked out with rooftop owners. Though the patio is one potential fix, Green said "it's not the lynchpin" for moving forward.
"I totally understand that when an idea is presented, there's some level of anxiety because of what we just went through," he said. "Our commitment is as always, since day one, to see the community process all the way through."
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 management of the iconic team.
