Full press conference: Developers pitch $10 billion Bears stadium plan in Bronzeville

[0:00] good morning everyone it is a blessed privilege to stand before you all on this day [0:07] and i will not ask you to pull out your scriptures but we welcome you to the historic [0:13] olivette baptist church where we have been privileged to serve the lord and our community [0:18] for 176 years having our founding date in the year of 1850. if you know a little bit about [0:25] our history you know that we were pivotal and instrumental in the great migration to chicago [0:32] and today we have that privilege again to open up and create an opportunity for a conversation [0:38] about a future that could rise just up king drive whatever brought you here today and for whatever [0:45] reasons you are here we are glad that you came today and we pray that you feel welcomed and at home in [0:52] our sacred space god bless you good morning let me welcome everyone to the fourth ward and before i [1:16] get started i think it's extremely important to recognize my esteemed colleagues that are here [1:22] with me this morning i want to thank alderman brian hopkins of the second ward i want to thank [1:29] commissioner bill laurie i also want to thank senator robert peters for being with us this morning [1:35] i'm lamont robinson alderman of the fourth ward my job is to make sure that what gets built in this [1:43] ward works for people who live here that's the job i'm doing here today for 55 years bears fans have [1:55] walked to the game lake michigan at their side that's what fans want i remember being with my father [2:07] unfortunately he is no longer with us at soldier field and below zero weather hanging out with him [2:16] as a 10 year old kid but here today in bronzeville we're ready to give the bears their next home in [2:27] five days lawmakers returned to springfield to consider legislation that could let chicago build a publicly [2:38] owned stadium the bears are weighing their future including their property in arlington heights there's [2:48] been a lot of noise chicago needs to cut through all the noise with one clear answer and today we are [2:59] giving it i've served this community in springfield and in city hall i've learned to be careful with my [3:09] name because pastor it's the only thing i'll ever get back i'm putting it behind this project because i [3:19] believe with everything i have it's the right thing for the fourth ward and the right thing for chicago [3:28] and the bears president kevin warren has called our lakefront the greatest piece of art that exists [3:38] on the planet every viable lakefront option for the bears in chicago runs through my ward so let me walk [3:52] you down the lakefront start at soldier field the oldest and smallest stadium in the nfl taxpayers still [4:06] owe four hundred and sixty million dollars on its last renovation and our park district has proposed turn [4:17] it into a world-class concert venue right next door is museum campus it's protected lakefront where homes [4:29] and shops aren't allowed thank goodness and friends of the park has threatened to sue to stop a stadium [4:37] there you could put a stadium there keep walking south past mccormick place to michael reese more than [4:52] 100 acres a stadium just west of lakeshore drive with a land bridge and about 30 acres of new parkland [5:02] reaching the water here we build a stadium and give more lakefront back to the people of chicago along [5:12] with new places to live two years ago i said if a stadium here came with housing retail and the support [5:24] of the community i'd support it today it has all three for the bears a new dome stadium home in the city [5:35] city whose name they carry for the fans the lakefront and its beautiful skyline within reach by train bus [5:55] bike or foot for chicago good jobs and a neighborhood alive all year long and ladies and gentlemen on the [6:08] south side for illinois a team that stays here and dollars that stay here as well to pastor smith [6:26] thank you for your 15 years of service to this great community to my neighbors in bronzeville to [6:34] the michael reese advisory committee thank you for your amazing work on this michael reese project [6:43] i know you've heard big promises before as your alderman i'll judge this project by one test does it [6:52] protect the people who already call it home let me repeat does it protect the people who already [7:04] call it home the commitments they've made to me and ultimately to you are in writing and i'll hold [7:16] them to that in march i wrote that this moment calls for more than site selection it calls for vision [7:30] soldier field keeps the concerts the bears get a new home at michael reese and chicago keeps a team on the [7:39] lakefront where it belongs quentin primo brought google to the thompson center thank you quentin in a [8:11] moment he'll show you what's possible right here but first take a look at what this could mean for [8:21] bronzeville thank you very much that that was some film wasn't it always brings tears to my eyes [11:36] i'm quentin primo founder and executive chairman of capri investment group and i would like to thank [11:41] all of you for attending this morning and along with development leadership team of grit chicago i [11:47] would like to introduce you to our new expanded vision for bronzeville lakefront a unique and inclusive [11:55] housing cultural and entertainment district along chicago's magnificent lakefront but first let me [12:02] introduce the dignitaries that are joining me on the podium here today and if i can go from your left to [12:10] right uh pastor john smith of olive baptist church of course fourth ward alderman lamont robinson and [12:18] thank you so much for your remarks uh alderman robinson uh prayer shores resident lewis bennett um [12:28] we have next zeb my partner there he is that handsome that handsome guy down at the end [12:34] and my partner zeb mclaurin uh presidents and ceo of mccorin development partners um suzette mckinney [12:44] and my friend who is president and ceo of chicago loop alliance um cook county commissioner bill [12:53] lawry of course uh next to him senator peters uh illinois state senator and scott goodman uh founding [13:01] principal of farpoint development uh again a partner in grit and my partner oh pastor chris harris [13:12] i knew i missed someone [13:16] that's my main man right there thank you so much chris and you'll hear from him shortly so my apologies [13:24] regina stilp uh founding principal of farpoint my partner joel putnam a chief design officer and [13:30] partner of capri investment group paula robinson president of bronzeville lakefront bronzeville [13:37] partners good enough lee gallup of gallup and company executive vice president a long [13:44] and well-known chicago firm and lastly senator brian hopps senator one alderman brian hopkins that's a lot [13:53] of work trust me thank you uh and i'd be remiss i can't really see with the lights in my eyes but i'd be [14:03] remiss to not mention a few people in the audience one david doig who's our partner in grit chicago yep [14:14] lou weisbach who runs something called in tickets we trust and has been our capital advisor on our [14:21] journey thus far her mean hartman of indigo excuse me and grand grady of taff law firm i know i'm missing [14:28] a lot but why don't you give them all hands all right now with that done we can get down to business [14:37] there are four key elements of bronzeville lakefront that i would like to briefly discuss with you [14:42] today one an expanded site that will now allow us to have a broadened more comprehensive vision for [14:50] the program and project two as part of this vision our commitment to devote develop significant new [14:58] housing both on and off site three an enhanced community benefits package that will be offered [15:05] to existing residents and benefit the community at large and lastly our ability to now accommodate [15:12] a new world-class stadium for the bears so let's get into it an expanded site and vision [15:22] the site will expand from its current 40 acres to approximately over 100 acres this will allow for [15:28] greatly improves circulation and connectivity to the neighborhood increased open area and the [15:35] development of over 11 million square feet of residential and commercial area the 100 acres does [15:42] not include the privately owned land shown in fact let me see did i uh hang on bear with me oh who did that [15:55] good uh it does not include the area in the kind of the purple magenta that's privately owned [16:01] it'd be great to own that but we don't need to execute our program uh the expanded site results [16:07] from our collaboration with gallob and company co-owner and manager of prairie shores uh that's [16:13] the acreage shown in yellow and the documented commitment to lease air rights from the marshalling [16:19] yard from the npea which is shown in the amber color because of its increased mass and anticipated [16:28] activity we believe the project will have a much greater impact on the area especially on the adjacent uses [16:35] that will better spur economic development within the area okay let's see if i can do this there we [16:43] go specifically overall programming will include and i'll just go down it quickly over 5 000 new units [16:53] of on and off-site mixed income housing which will include affordable workforce senior and student housing [17:00] options more than 3 200 units of which will be built on site more than 2 000 hotel rooms 300 000 square feet [17:09] of expanded mccormick place convention and meeting area strategically connecting the venue to the many [17:15] amenities of the project a new 28 acre park inclusive of an expanded land bridge over disable lake shore [17:24] drive 100 000 square feet of new shops and restaurants including the unique open-air retail pavilion a 500 000 [17:32] square foot youth sports complex that can host local and regional competitions 400 000 square feet of new [17:39] offices a 400 000 square foot health and wellness center on par with that of east bank club structured [17:45] parking for more than 3 500 cars and if the bears so elect and choose bronzeville lakefront as their new [17:53] home a state of the art 75 000 seat 1.8 million square foot domed multi-purpose stadium [18:10] all of this program is anticipated to produce 60 000 new jobs and at least 14 billion dollars in regional [18:17] economic activity this slide next highlights some of the major programming areas that i've referred to [18:26] to the project is further planned to have four major phases phase one with or without the stadium is [18:36] planned to include the retail pavilion youth sports complex and health and wellness center in addition [18:42] to 1 000 units of housing connectivity and accessibility will be greatly improved orientation of streets in [18:52] the project will be east west versus north south as originally conceived this will better connect the [18:58] development with both the bronzeville community and the lakefront importantly we are proposing a new [19:04] 29th street metro station on site that will be accessed from the central retail pavilion and a new 29th [19:12] street green line station that will be located along state street about a half a mile away substantial new [19:23] housing more than any other programming element housing will drive this development we are proposing building [19:31] more than 5 000 new mixed income units more than 35 3200 of which will be on site that will service a broad [19:38] demand of different housing types and income levels we will specifically include the development of [19:44] affordable and senior housing which is virtually non-existent in the immediate area the mayor has told us [19:51] to that he wants housing and we are giving it to him in addition our plan addresses partially replacing [19:58] the aging prairie shores complex completed by draper and kramer nearly 70 years ago we are recommending that [20:07] two of the five buildings be retained and refurbished with the dedication of significant capital resources [20:13] and that three of the five towers eventually will be replaced as part of the development of new [20:19] modern housing with abundant amenities if our plan is well received we will embark on a robust community [20:26] engagement process and a commitment that no building will be touched unless 1.5 times the units impacted [20:36] will have been permitted financed and under construction further existing tenants impacted will be offered new [20:52] comparable units at the rents they are currently paying for a period of five years or more in addition [21:05] legacy tenants who have been who have lived in the building for more than five years will be given [21:09] additional benefits these promises or guarantees will be made an integral part of a community [21:17] documented binding and monitored community benefits package which i will more thoroughly discuss [21:23] shortly off-site we will pursue the development of thousands of new mixed-income units along with [21:30] supportive commercial uses importantly we have an agreement with the owner of lake meadows [21:36] lee gallup who's sitting with us today who co-owns the property directly south of the project [21:42] uh which is shown in uh yeah uh well it's a part of the uh the the green 3200 units [21:51] um however uh that collaboration will allow us to expand the site to 100 acres and move forward with [21:59] the overall development but off-site um lake meadows is which is shown again with the magenta color [22:07] lake meadows already has 2500 units on it and they have the entitlements they have the zoning and the [22:14] entitlements to build another 5000 units so we will unlock those resources we will joint venture with [22:21] the owner of lake meadows which we've agreed in concept at this point in time in addition we are in [22:28] dialogue with illinois tech iit which is the area shown in blue to joint venture student housing over 50 [22:38] of the residents of prairie shores are students primarily from iit uic and local colleges and [22:45] universities there is no student there's no official student housing in the area we will build new [22:51] student housing and we've got a handshake agreement on illinois camp illinois iit's campus and we'll seek [22:58] additional agreements with uic and other universities in the area but we will deliver student housing that [23:04] does not exist on campus lastly there are over 60 area 60 acres uh you've seen the the orange color [23:12] the yellowish orange 60 plus acres of underdeveloped property within a one-half mile radius of the site [23:19] that are primarily owned by public entities again shown in yellow this land sits currently idle pays no property [23:26] taxes and often represents an eyesore to the communities and neighborhoods in which the land is located [23:32] our plan will help finally spur development on a number of these undeveloped parcels okay [23:44] community benefits importantly this this slide outlines key resident and community benefits of [23:51] number of which i've already mentioned let me read them out loud one provide 1.5 times more [23:58] replacement housing for every unit impacted by our plan two give affected residents priority access to new [24:06] equivalent amenity rich units and an equal rent for minimum of five years three no building will be [24:14] touched until new replacement housing is permitted financed and under construction four we will help form [24:22] an independent community advisory board to monitor the replacement housing process and our guarantees five [24:30] we will make 20 of all new homes affordable at 60 to 80 percent of ami across all units completed on and off site [24:38] six we will award at least 30 percent of construction contracts to minority-owned firms and 10 percent to women-owned firms [24:49] seven we will fill at least half of all construction hours with chicago residents at 65 percent minority participation [24:57] eight we will work with the bronzeville community to create a world-class welcome and visitor center [25:04] nine we will reserve 10 of retail all retail space on on site for local businesses at 20 discount below [25:13] market rent for a period of 40 years 10 we will deliver more than 28 acres of a new lakefront protected [25:21] park to the chicago park district those are the commitments that we are making to the community and [25:26] as long as i'm living and breathing we're people lastly the bears okay um our expanded footprint will now [25:42] allow for a new 75 000 seat multi-purpose dome stadium for the chicago bears to fit [25:49] perfectly on site and all the proposed uh economic development that i have described [25:56] should be supercharged by the addition of the stadium more than once we've heard from the bears the [26:02] stadium does not fit does not fit on the michael reese site this is based on the original site [26:09] consisting of only 48 acres and a required 300 foot hardened security perimeter setback that is needed [26:16] to host a super bowl all of which cannot encroach on live rail the expanded site of 100 acres results [26:25] refutes this statement as shown in the site layout plan you can see the 30 to 40 acres that the stadium [26:31] requires you know represented by the most external red dotted line fits snugly in the most southern and widest [26:41] portion of the site it affects as i mentioned three of the five towers the prairie shores towers [26:46] representing about a thousand units which we will compassionately equitably replace and monitor per [26:53] our community benefits agreement with uh with with the community so in conclusion it is our belief that [27:03] a modern competitive dome stadium such as one we are proposing will outperform suburban locations such [27:10] as arlington heights or northwest indiana this is just plain common sense in our opinion as these [27:16] remote locations are not at the heart of the most important economic driver of the entire midwest [27:21] and that is chicago imagine for a second that the bronzeville stadium can produce just 25 million [27:28] more in bottom line income for the team than would be experienced in arlington heights or northwest indiana [27:37] just 25 million dollars more if like united center there were 100 events a year that would be just 250 [27:44] thousand dollars more per event that difference over 30 years at a six percent discount would equate to [27:54] 344 million dollars in today's present value dollars that's more than enough to cover the cost of what they [28:03] paid for arlington heights so mr mccaskey uh you've just more than paid for your arlington heights site [28:11] moreover and this is important so listen to me here listen to me carefully [28:14] uh if the fact that the bears ownership of arlington heights is the key impediment to the team staying [28:22] downtown and fairly considering bronzeville our global investors that we have signed with and i and our [28:31] team are prepared to buy the arlington heights site and eliminate this conflict there therefore therefore [28:50] there should be absolutely no reasons why the bears and the nfl should not seriously consider bronzeville [28:58] lakefront as the best site for their new home took me a while to get there but we got there [29:13] this is actually really concluding now in closing and in conclusion bronzeville lakefront checks all of [29:20] the boxes for the bears one it provides a central accessible location that will be served by direct [29:29] public transit and road access via numerous wide boulevards and thoroughfares so unlike soldier field it [29:36] will have the benefits of a lakefront location without the poor access and chronic congestion [29:45] two the stadium will be an instrumental part of the project that will strategically enable mccormick [29:52] place to retain its position as the world's largest convention center generating more tourism revenues [29:59] for the city and the state which is definitely in the public good three it will facilitate the [30:06] development of a new 28 acre park which can be a major income generator for the chicago park district [30:13] through major events and offer abundant opportunities for tailgating enhancing game day experience for the [30:20] bears fans four the stadium will be pivotal and stimulating stimulating major economic development [30:28] of bronzeville and mid-south communities and will become another pearl on the necklace that will extend [30:34] south to obama center and quantum shores and lastly the project in which the stadium is a key part [30:43] will generate 60 000 new jobs and over 14 billion in regional economic activity a win for the region a win for [30:52] the state of illinois so thank you for your for your patience and i'd like to now turn it over to [30:59] pastor harris got it right [31:10] now you all knew that you were putting a preacher up here and we're in the church so let's act like we [31:16] are in the church in bronzeville grab somebody by the hand right now come on come on some of y'all never [31:21] do this grab them by the hand make sure you grab somebody better looking than you are i see three of [31:26] y'all not touching anybody i understand but looked at neighbor and i said neighbor let's bring the bears [31:35] to bronzeville make some noise up in here everybody that's what i'm talking about yeah i'm pastor chris [31:45] harris i'm the senior pastor of bright star church chicago and a second church saint james church chicago [31:52] i'm also the founder and the ceo of bright star community outreach and bright star community [31:57] development corporation where we employ more than 130 employees to serve this great community the black [32:05] metropolis both sides of my family uh the matriarch and patriarch side of my family came to bronzeville [32:12] and landed here from mississippi through the great migration i grew up just a few blocks from here in the [32:19] dearborn homes 29 30 south dearborn apartment 503 because the black people in here know you ain't from [32:28] the projects unless you say the apartment number i've also pastored in this community that i was born and [32:34] raised in since 1999. i'm a son of this soil my roots are here my ministry is here my companies are here [32:43] and my responsibility is to the people who call this community home also as if i needed something else to do [32:51] i'm the chairman of the greater bronzeville neighborhood network and community action [32:56] council bringing together more than 220 plus organizations including schools churches businesses [33:03] and community groups alongside parents and teachers as well as residents together we work on conditions [33:11] that shape a family's health and their future focusing on the social determinants of health quality [33:17] education stable housing safe streets and economic opportunity that is why bronzeville lakefront matters [33:27] that is why this project is essential i believe in what this development can be with the bears or without [33:36] the bears this community deserves investment that strengthens the people who live here and we know [33:44] we know what it feels like that's right you can clap right there we know what it feels like when decisions [33:54] are made about our neighborhood without our voices in the room our position is clear nothing about us [34:02] without us and the development team has committed to putting its promises into a binding community benefits [34:10] agreement that commitment must stand wherever the bears decide to play residents must help shape that [34:19] agreement continue to develop that agreement and have the power to hold people accountable to that [34:25] agreement listen to me good and let me speak directly to the families at prairie shores since you are my [34:32] neighbor i still live in this community right down the street your home matters your history matters your future [34:43] matters and every door represents a family every family has a name a story and a place in this [34:51] community the standard is simple families should stay in their homes until the new homes are ready [34:58] one move that's right one move come on clap on that a better home clap on that protected rent clap on that [35:06] and real voices from the community in the process the people who helped hold this community together deserve [35:14] to share in what this community will become so i'm making a personal commitment on my own when these [35:22] conversations happen i'll be in the room i'll be asking is the promise in writing and is the promise [35:31] working for the people we need people checking the paperwork and you can count on me and others that are [35:39] in this room to keep checking on the people for the people listen to me good i'll keep asking what this [35:47] means for our children our young people they need good schools safe streets and a first job close to home [35:57] at first that dream looked like it wasn't going to happen but aren't we excited for people like [36:05] this team in this room people like our alderman scott quentin primo and all of these partners [36:13] including zeb mclaurin we ought to clap for visionary leadership making this thing get ready to happen [36:20] in the black metropolis can you imagine the first job can give a young person income purpose and a reason [36:30] to see a future right here in their home this plan creates an opportunity to create residents and [36:38] connect them to training and jobs and contracts i want our young people trained our neighbors hired and [36:48] black owned and women-owned businesses able to compete for real contracts you ought to clap for that [36:56] that's really what it's all about and on a personal note i want a young person from the dearborn homes [37:04] right down the street where i was born and raised prairie shores right here or anywhere in bronzeville [37:12] to look at this development and say these words i can work there i can build a business there and i [37:20] can build my future right there that is the kind of progress that i can stand behind our family secure [37:29] our young people employed and our community helping to shape its own future bronzeville has [37:36] opened its doors so chicago bears come on to your new home right here in the black metropolis [37:45] in bronzeville now help me to welcome another resident my neighbor and he's been at prairie shores [37:55] for 25 years y'all go crazy for my man 50 grand louis bennett welcome him to the stage everybody i'm a [38:13] little stage frightened okay so excuse me but first of all my manager matt brisak the greatest perfectionist [38:26] of prairie shores and and also i just want to thank him for allowing me to be here to be able to speak [38:36] on behalf of prairie shores and that lauren thank you so much as being a mentor for me being able to be [38:45] up here to be able to speak the way i am today i'm so happy that i'm in that prairie shore area because [38:53] we have so much going on we got mccormick place we got the the wind trust we got a lot of exciting [39:04] things around us and we in a quality living area and i'm so happy to be a part of a innovating [39:17] movement that's being made and i'm so happy about the chicago bears being able to have a stadium [39:23] across the street my only thing is that i want to know is how soon can we do it and i'm happy about [39:36] how they have allowed and let the tenants know that they're going to have a nice place to stay [39:45] when the movement is made and i'm so happy about everything that's being done and i'm just so glad [39:50] to be able to be a part of this situation because this is what you call a movement and i'm a part of [39:57] the movement and i just want to say thank you guys i love you all and i wish the best and i know all my [40:04] celebrity friends right here have so i know i'm gonna give them a turn to get up here and speak [40:10] to and see as they're as nervous as i am but thank you guys i love you all have a great day good morning [40:35] everybody although i did not grow up in bronzeville or prairie shores believe me i lived at 53rd in [40:44] peoria and on holidays we would be dropped off in the area at somebody's house whether it was 206 408 [40:55] we would barbecue in the yard and we would have fun uh so we would have so much fun i am dr tiamma [41:02] romero and i'm chief of staff for congressman danny k davis and i'm honored to be here today [41:08] representing him and i could tell you that i talked to both he and incoming congressman [41:12] lashawn for it this morning before getting here congressman davis sends his greetings and regrets that [41:19] he cannot be with us in person he is in washington doing the people's work which is what he does seven [41:25] days a week and i can testify to that and he asked me to share his strong belief that the chicago bears [41:33] belong in chicago his belief is that the bears are more than a football team they are part of our city's [41:45] history our identity and the memories families share across generations they bind us together as cultures [41:54] and they bind us together as a community keeping the team here would also mean keeping jobs investment [42:03] and economic opportunity in our region congressman davis has asked that the former michael reese [42:09] hospital site in bronzeville received serious consideration this is an opportunity to think [42:16] creatively about how a major development could bring lasting benefit to chicago and to the south side [42:24] which could extend all the way to southwest at 906 west 53rd street which is where i grew up [42:31] there are real questions to answer the site has constraints of course including any site [42:37] its size nearby nearby rail lines transportation and the needs of neighboring residents those challenges [42:44] can be overcome but they should lead to serious planning and open discussion not not an automatic [42:53] dismissal of the possibility the question before us were the city leaders the bears planners and the [43:01] community can work together to make a strong strong proposal work that means listening to residents [43:10] addressing practical concerns that we know since pastor harris would be involved all of that will be [43:15] taken care of and making sure any public investment delivers clear value to the public a stadium cannot [43:23] be treated as a promise of economic benefit by itself the details matters who pays what the public receives in [43:32] return and whether the jobs and investment reach chicago neighborhoods these questions we know you will [43:40] answer congressman davis believes we should keep working towards a future for the bears right here we [43:46] should consider every serious option including bronze field and measure proposals by whether they [43:52] create opportunity for the people who live here pastor harris again chicago is a city that knows how to [44:00] take on big challenges let's bring some of that imagination persistence and commitment to the table now [44:09] let's keep the bears in chicago and make sure the benefits belong to chicagoans not including brent [44:20] including bronzeville but every surrounding area in the city of chicago thank you [44:25] good morning my name is dr suzette mckinney i am a native south sider and i serve as the president and [44:42] ceo of the chicago loop alliance for those who don't know us we represent the chicago loop the largest [44:51] downtown business district in the country outside of midtown manhattan every day [44:58] our teams are out on state street keeping it clean safe and full of life our job is simple bring people [45:09] and investment downtown and that is why i am here today you heard it in the video let's think big [45:22] chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world and it's time that we think that big super bowl big [45:32] the biggest events in the world need three things in one place a stadium convention halls and thousands [45:42] of hotel rooms absolutely a domed stadium next to mccormick place the largest convention center in the [45:54] country gives us all three that puts super bowls final fours and the world's biggest concerts and [46:04] conventions within reach and i can tell you right now quentin i will be purchasing my box for beyonce okay [46:14] and when those events come the entirety of downtown chicago wins visitors fill our hotels eat in our [46:23] restaurants they go and see our shows in the theaters and they shop on state street michael reese is just [46:31] three miles from the loop a short train ride away so that spending stays in chicago when bronzeville rises [46:42] the loop rises with it so i agree with our neighbor from prairie shores mr bennett who spoke earlier bear down [46:50] bronzeville let's win this for the bears for our city and for our state no one knows the lakefront [47:05] better than those of us who grew up here walking and running up and down that beautiful portion of [47:11] our city and so now please join me in welcoming my good friend commissioner bill lowry it is so good to [47:26] be here with all of you this morning i am bill lowry i'm president of nyhan bambrick kenzie and laurie [47:32] a 50-person litigation firm in downtown chicago i also serve as cook county commissioner of the third [47:39] district welcome to the third district i serve as vice chair of the finance committee for the cook [47:44] county board of commissioners i serve as chair of the health and hospitals committee for the cook [47:48] county board of commissioners and i serve as vice chair of the cook county health board of directors [47:54] but most importantly i'm before you as a son of the south side of chicago suzette is spot on good [48:03] projects get built where the roads and rails already run as past vice chair of the illinois capital [48:11] development board i learned that public dollars go furthest when you don't have to build everything [48:16] from scratch this site already has what it needs this site has metro running right alongside it this [48:24] site has cta right here this site has lakeshore drive and i-55 minutes away and a new station is planned [48:32] at 29th street taxpayers build less the taxpayers get more and this site connects the very people [48:40] i represent the green line and the metro electric already run through the south side neighborhoods [48:46] so a young person in my district can ride to a job here a family can ride to a game a youth team can [48:54] come and play at the new sports complex when you build where people already live the opportunity reaches [49:01] them compare that to starting over 25 miles away from the loop on land which you can only reach usually [49:09] by car that means new roads and more public dollars before the first fan ever shows up for cook county [49:17] this is the right investment and it's in the right place it brings jobs to our residents it strengthens [49:23] the south side lakefront and it puts public dollars where they will do the most good now we need [49:30] springfield that's where the ultimate decision will be made but we want springfield to know that the [49:35] chicago bears are going to be in bronzeville it is now my pleasure to bring up my dear friend state [49:47] senator robert peters thank you commissioner good morning i'm robert peters i'm state senator of the [50:02] 13th district which stretches from the second ward all the way down to the indiana border and i'm proud [50:10] to represent this district it's a beautiful district i call it the front yard of our state the front yard of our city [50:17] when people come to chicago they are coming to our lakefront they're coming for a concert navy pier the [50:24] taste of chicago lalapalooza and even nascar so my district includes soldier field and the michael reese [50:31] site and i make it clear i do not pick favorites when it comes to my children they're all beautiful [50:38] they're all amazing and i support all of them but what i do know is that the bears do want to leave out [50:43] a soldier field and as they make that consideration we have a historic site that has been yearning [50:51] for this type of development at michael reese and so i believe i believe that when we look at the [50:58] bears and we look at the sites we have to just think about what we saw during the playoffs i'm hoping [51:03] everybody here is a bears fan that's right if you watch a bears game when they have the overhead shot [51:12] with a blimp you see downtown chicago you see the lakefront you see what clearly what what they want [51:18] to sell about a bears game and chicago and no offense to arlington heights but when they show those [51:25] images in arlington heights it will be artificial what makes this location beautiful is both its [51:30] people and its connection to the city and so in five days i'm going to be going down to springfield [51:37] and i want to make it clear springfield's not the only place that will make this decision as these [51:42] negotiations happen but it's an important part and the part that needs to be thinking as this [51:47] decision is getting made is that when it comes to public money when it comes to the investment we [51:54] have to be careful and fair there's about 460 million dollars left debt left on this on the bear on [52:01] soldier field it is funded by the hotel tax we need to make sure we need to make sure that when there's [52:09] a taylor swift concert or beyonce where there's a big show that's happening a convention we need to [52:16] make sure that those hotels continue to be filled so that pays off the debt that is harder if they [52:23] move to arlington heights it is a responsibility for us not only for our great city to make sure that we [52:29] keep the team in chicago it's a responsibility for us when it comes to selling the state and city [52:35] on tv when people look at our beautiful skyline to keep the team in chicago it's a responsibility for us [52:41] as taxpayers to make sure that we keep the team in chicago so what we know is there's a unique [52:48] opportunity you heard unbelievable amounts of housing unbelievable unbelievable amounts of economic [52:55] development an unbelievable amount of work i mean we're talking about there's an offer to buy the [53:02] arlington heights site i mean that's that's amazing and we are in a part of the city that has seen [53:11] massive growth population growth economic growth we've seen a connection where people are feeling [53:18] less and less left out of what's happening downtown stretching along the lakefront this is in [53:23] addition to that and so as the center of this area as someone who does not pick before you know [53:30] between my beautiful kids we have a unique opportunity and we must push forward we have to make sure [53:36] that we continue to make history here at the michael reese site with its connection here in bronzeville [53:42] and the bears have done something they have an offense never thought i would see that they rebuilt their [53:53] defense i don't know if you watch the game i was nervous on you know this weekend about how the bears [53:58] were the offense was reminding me of the past but we held down and now we have to figure out this stadium [54:08] and this is the missing puzzle piece thank you i'm going to introduce a primo person with a primo plan [54:18] quentin primo thank you senator peters uh in all due respect uh i think this kid at bronzeville is [54:30] taller better looking smarter and and and headed to harvard college for for education or her education [54:38] but thank you all speakers we greatly appreciate um do i miss anything oh senator preston come on up [54:50] come on up come on up i appreciate that good morning everybody i'm state senator willie preston i [55:02] represent what i love to call the sweet 16th district here on the south side of chicago [55:09] but before that as the chairman of the senate black caucus and before all of that i was just a little [55:14] boy from inglewood whose earliest memories was walking my grandmother to the train station on 63rd and [55:21] racine to put a token in so she would get on the train and go to work at michael reese hospital this [55:33] project this city is near and dear to me we have an opportunity to build something really really [55:41] special and i'm not talking about a stadium i'm talking about 40 to 50 000 young people in this city [55:49] 40 and 50 000 construction jobs contracts opportunities that don't exist and come by every day and i believe [55:58] that as a state senator and that as a city and a state and hopefully as a stadium as a team we [56:04] should take that opportunity we cannot fail on this mission we have everything that we need right now [56:12] according to what we just heard and so as i think about that little boy that used to put that token on [56:18] the train for my grandmother i started to think about the people that can actually get this train moving [56:24] on this bear stadium today what you all have created and provided this development team is a token to [56:32] get on the train so i'm accent mayor brandon johnson my good friend governor jb pritzker the mccaskey family [56:40] take this token and get on the train to economic development take this token get on the train of 40 and [56:48] 50 000 jobs take this token and get on the train to economic prosperity for the south side of chicago take [56:55] this token so that we build not just the stadium but we build the economic logistics this city and [57:02] this side of town deserves i'm state senator woolly press and i'm taking that token and as a father of [57:06] six kids i am choosing i'm choosing michael reese let's go man i'm glad we didn't forget that [57:26] i just want to again thank all speakers uh and have zeb come up to kind of close us out brother [57:32] zeb mclaurin of mclaurin development thank you brother quentin we heard a lot today about uh economic [57:42] development and what's right for taxpayers and typically in an economic development forum we'd be [57:47] talking about jobs jobs jobs we are bronzeville we're talking about housing housing housing housing [57:54] housing and we are repurposing opportunities that previously did not exist but more importantly i [58:01] think as we sit in this historic venue we're reminded of the history of bronzeville and we're [58:07] reminded of the history of the city and it was not lost upon me when i awakened this morning and the [58:12] first thing hitting the computer this day in history doesn't normally happen to me but i had to pause [58:21] when the first image on the computer said what happened 101 years ago yesterday when soldier field was [58:30] named officially changing from grant memorial park to soldier field in honor of our fallen soldiers [58:38] and what eventually became veterans day 101 years ago yesterday what happened the very next year [58:46] 100 years ago exactly the chicago bears played the chicago cardinals at soldier field for the first [58:56] ever professional football game at that venue the bears would not move there permanently [59:02] until 1971 but they played an exhibition game for charity on november 11th 2022 i'm sorry 1926. so [59:14] that history is not lost upon us there was an image of soldier field on that day and i'm also reminded [59:23] of who we have amongst us cardinal george mundelein and reverend william griffin were standing on the [59:33] surface of one of the pillars of soldier field surveying preparing for an all-out open-air mass which was [59:43] the primary use of grant memorial park at the time eventually becoming soldier field so that history of [59:51] what community and culture and bronzeville means i think takes on special meaning as we all consider [1:00:00] why we are here the best return on taxpayer dollars finally new housing for long-term residents economic [1:00:09] development unparalleled to with any other location and a chance for chicago and the bears and the entire [1:00:18] region to get it right so i want to thank all of our partners because it's been a journey you've seen the [1:00:26] culmination of what a significant amount of research validated by math and extraordinary time and effort [1:00:35] in in understanding what truly is the best benefit for all of us we are all taxpayers we own these [1:00:42] assets let's figure out how to get them repurposed for the best benefit of all so i want to thank all [1:00:48] of our entire team everyone from we see al dinwiddie from luke capital thank you for being here david doig from [1:00:54] cni all of the farpoint mclaurin development team members please raise your hand and be recognized [1:01:00] because capri capital i also want to make sure recognize some of our other civic partners that [1:01:09] are in the room the near south planning board thank you very much our south loop neighbors thank you very [1:01:18] much we intentionally want to recognize our civic partners because as suzette mentioned we are all in [1:01:29] this together we all have to dig out of this hole simultaneously and hopefully this shot in the arm [1:01:37] that we are pursuing alongside our civic partners business community our elected officials and our [1:01:45] faith-based community full of culture and our residents here in prairie shores we want to thank you [1:01:51] and we are locked arms with you to help bring this to reality so quinn and i will pause and take oh right i [1:01:59] apologize you're right the our gap community organization is here as well thank you very much [1:02:11] we will pause for a couple of questions because we are well beyond our time limit just the easy one [1:02:19] hi my name is britney i'm with fox 32. um i understand that grit um received a 60 000 payment a few years ago [1:02:37] and had already a 3.8 billion dollar project development plan for this site um why has that stalled [1:02:43] in mr primo what made you get on board to kind of push this project further i'll answer the last [1:02:49] one first that's simple because i kidnapped him and held him in a trunk um the grit redevelopment [1:02:59] agreement you referenced uh included a 60 million dollar infrastructure appropriation from the city of [1:03:05] chicago overwhelming majority of that remains because there has not been concurrence amongst all community [1:03:14] and civic partners about how to best spend that those dollars for infrastructure only and now that [1:03:19] this opportunity exists those dollars will be uh well served and well appropriated for the best project [1:03:27] that enhances the community of bronzeville john garcia with channel seven um couple questions in one [1:03:40] question um have you met with mayor johnson and has briefed him on this plan uh have you met with the bears [1:03:48] at all and to what extent is this proposal dependent on the bears decision to build the stadium here we [1:03:56] have left and will not leave any stone unturned or any opportunity to uh converse and communicate [1:04:03] with anyone to tell them about the virtues of this plan uh if we've talked to mr bennett and as many of [1:04:09] his neighbors that are here as possible within prairie shores we certainly intend to continue to engage [1:04:16] with all of our elected officials i would dare not provide specificity because of other things that [1:04:22] are going on with our legislative leaders and our executive branch but believe me we have talked and [1:04:29] will continue to talk to everyone last one hi i'm jewel hillary with wgn um can you give a timeline for [1:04:42] the potential completion of this project and go into a little bit more about how it would be funded uh [1:04:50] mr primo reference and fortunately uh we have had some very good conversations with capital partners [1:04:57] global organizations who understand the virtue of how important sports and sports economic development [1:05:04] is they certainly understand because we've educated them all about the aspects of the uniqueness of the [1:05:10] bronzeville community our connectivity which has been well discussed here today our timeline is today we [1:05:18] are as we said we are we think we are perfectly timed given what's going to start happening in [1:05:22] springfield next week the governor is on record stating a specific timeline for at least a legislative [1:05:28] framework to be put into place and but these are multi-billion dollar decisions which cannot happen [1:05:34] overnight but we are confident that our research and our math validated concepts will certainly stand the test [1:05:41] the test of time thank you all