CHICAGO — Friends of the Parks, the advocacy group that has thwarted filmmaker George Lucas' plans to build a museum on the city's lakefront, now seems ready to deal, according to a report.
Juanita Irizarry, the group's executive director, sent a memo to her board Thursday with six stipulations it wants in order to reach a deal with the city allowing construction of the controversial museum, according to Crain's. The wish-list includes the development of the long-planned DuSable Park near the former site of the Chicago Spire and the establishment of a new "neighborhood parks fund" backed by Lucas Museum revenues, according to the report.
Friends of the Parks sued in 2014 to block construction of the museum, which has been championed by Lucas and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The city has filed with an appellate court to dismiss the lawsuit.
The deal would allow for negotiations to build the Lucas Museum where the Lakeside Center near McCormick Place currently sits. Emanuel served up that site as a compromise following the parks' group's lawsuit blocking construction on a Soldier Field parking lot.
The McCormick Place plan would require more than $1 billion in new state-approved borrowing.
Irizarry, a mayoral spokeswoman, did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Rikeesha Phelon, a Lucas Museum spokeswoman, declined to comment. Read the Crain's report for more details.
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