Another potential new market for the independent American Association, as the Chicago suburb of Rosemont is moving forward on a $55-million ballpark project on land offered in 2013 to the Chicago Cubs for a Wrigley Field replacement.
We’ve reported this week on two other group seeking an American Association team: Cleburne (where a new ballpark is set for 2017) and Franklin, where a new ballpark could open in 2018. You can add the Chicago suburb to the mix: potential investors and Mayor Brad Stephens were at the American Association All-Star Game to discuss a future in the circuit. Apparently thing went well: the city contracted AECOM to move forward with a design, and a TIF is being set up to finance the ballpark, a parking ramp and a mixed-use development, The Pearl, which will feature a 63-room boutique hotel, two restaurants and more. From the Chicago Daily Herald:
Meanwhile, architects already are preparing drawings for the 6,300-seat venue, which would be built on 10 acres of village-owned land north of Balmoral Avenue and west of the Tri-State Tollway. The village board this week approved a $2.6 million contract with AECOM Services of Illinois to complete architectural design of the ballpark.
The one-level stadium is proposed to include skyboxes, party decks and club areas for corporate outings, in addition to concession stands on a wraparound concourse. It wouldn’t be the biggest stadium in the league — that distinction goes to the 7,210-seat CHS Field in St. Paul. But the new Rosemont park would be larger than its neighbor, the 2,000-seat Rosemont Stadium, home of the Chicago Bandits women’s softball team. It opened in 2011.
The minor league stadium itself is projected to cost $35 million, while a four-level parking garage would be $20 million. The village would likely pay for construction by borrowing funds through a bond sale and by using proceeds from a tax increment financing district established last February.
The rendering above come from Snow Kreilich Architects, designer of CHS Field, our Ballpark of the Year in 2015.
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