Juego Bonito Won't Be Coming To Lincoln Park, Lincoln Yards Cancels 20,000 Seat Stadium Proposal

(source)–As it stands now, Alderman Brian Hopkins (D-2nd Ward) says he does not support the proposal, which would build residences, hotels and businesses on 70 acres along the North Branch of the Chicago River once home to Finkl Steel.”It all added up to something that was simply too big and too dense and the existing infrastructure certainly couldn’t handle it,” Hopkins said. Plans for a soccer stadium and entertainment district apparently doomed the project, raising concerns about traffic congestion and competition with independent music venues. The 20,000-seat sports stadium was to be the home to a new professional soccer franchise owned by Cubs owner Tom Ricketts. A collection of several music venues of different sizes making up an entertainment district was to be run by mega events promoter Live Nation. But residents expressed concerns the stadium would bring too much traffic to the area.

I’ve never done a 180 faster on a construction project. When this was first announced a few years ago I was pumped. I used to drive down through this area all the time. Clybourn corridor features a ton of great bars that are a staple of early 20s life. Kinkade’s on Armitage, my favorite dive bar; the Tripoli Tap, and of course…Zellas. The shittiest shit show of a brunch place. The area is turning over a bit to the point that Zellas is legitimately an organic dog food shop. The area needs new blood and new life. The idea of sports and music complex on the West of Lincoln Park. Sign me up. I mean look at this stadium they were proposing

Tell me this wouldn’t be an incredible scene for sports and concerts. Imagine all the “slay queen” instagram posts you could do when Marin Moris came to town with that skyline backdrop. It’d be amazing. I’d absolutely pretend to be a soccer fan a couple times a year if an MLS team owned by Tom Ricketts played in convenient location. Go to the bars, go to the game, stumbled into bars on the way home. You know what that sounds like…Wrigleyville. This would be Wrigley-barrio.

Then Alderman Brian Hopkins said the two little words that made me flip my opinion INSTANTLY: People and traffic.

No fucking thanks. More people…gross. There’s already way too much construction going on in Lincoln Park. That Fullerton-Lincoln-Halsted intersection is a disaster with all the construction. They’re building huge high rise apartments, a retirement home, and bunch of other stuff. What’s even the point of stumbling over to that McDonalds on the corner for a breakfast hangover cure if there’s loud pounding construction work making your head want to explode? How are Depaul kids supposed to survive that? You really can’t add more to that area. Just let it be an old abandoned steel mill like it is now until they figure out a way to deal with the million extra people moving into the area.