Report: 'Friendlier' Negotiations Taking Place Between Ricketts, Some Rooftop Owners
(CBS) Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and some rooftop owners are continuing negotiations for the latter to sell their buildings/businesses to Ricketts family, and the previously rocky relationship between the sides has improved recently, according to a report from CSNChicago.com.
It doesn't appear any deal is imminent, but this would be considered progress following a standoff between the Cubs and rooftop owners who opposed renovations to Wrigley Field that included additional signage and a videoboard. Those rooftop owners contended that the signs and videoboard would block some of their views, which would violate a previously signed contract. After many litigation threats, the Cubs decided late last spring to move forward with a $575 million renovation plan of Wrigley Field and the surrounding area, and they got approval from the city over the summer, leaving the rooftop owners stuck in a tough spot. Construction on Wrigley Field -- which is going the first phase of a four-phase process this offseason -- began shortly after the season ended in September.
Realizing the situation isn't playing out well for them, some rooftop owners are looking to sell, so long as they get fair market value, according to CSNChicago.com. And Ricketts has reportedly been fair in his dealings with those owners interested in selling, with CSNChicago.com saying negotiations have taken on a "much friendlier spirit."
One source told CSNChicago.com that the sides -- again, not all of the rooftop owerns, but those interested in selling instead of fighting -- could reach an agreement by the start of the season next April.
"Despite years of acrimonious negotiations and public sniping that has pitted the two sides against one another, things have gotten much better," the source told CSNChicago.com. "The Ricketts family has been amazingly fair, and Tom has been a man of his word throughout these latest discussions. He and his brothers and sister want the rooftop owners to get a fair deal, and Tom has been clear in his instructions to the rest of his team that he wants things handled that way. Now what they think is fair and what the rooftop owners think is fair could still end up being two entirely different things, but I believe that a deal will get done before Opening Day."
