Any open streets benefits for a proposal to shut down Clark and Addison streets near Wrigley Field would have been secondary to security concerns—but it's all conjecture after the Mayor's Office nixed the idea.
Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's office rejected a proposal by the Chicago Cubs to shut down parts of Clark and Addision streets to cars on game days, according to article by John Byrne. The Cubs sought the closures as a security measure in the wake of the November terror attacks in Paris—closing the streets to cars would have allowed the team to create a 100-foot security perimeter around Wrigley Field.
Before a formal request for the closures could even be made, however, a spokeswoman for Mayor Emmanuel shot down the idea on the grounds that the closures would create more congestion in the neighborhood.
Bryne reports on the controversy as another example of the city's evolving relationship with its team as the Cubs expand the stadium's presence in the neighborhood with new uses and facilities.
FULL STORY: City Hall turns thumbs down on closing Clark, Addison for Cubs games
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