The Bears and the organization overseeing filmmaker George Lucas' proposed 300,000-square-foot museum yesterday "finalized long-term negotiations ... on rules governing parking, Bears
fan tailgating and advertising rules around Soldier Field and the
museum," according to John Byrne of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. City officials said that as part of the agreement, Bears fans "will see a net increase of 200 tailgating spots once the museum is built, to 3,361 from 3,161." Many tailgating spots "will remain where they are now, but some will be on an 'event prairie' near the museum and on top of a nearby parking garage." Bears fan parking spots "also will go up by 1,300, to 7,800 from 6,500." In addition, the Chicago Park District "agreed to let the Bears increase advertising in and around Soldier Field, with revenue from the advertising to be used to upgrade and repair" the stadium (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/29). In Chicago, Dudek & Spielman note during construction of the Lucas Museum -- to be located just south of Soldier Field -- the Bears will be "guaranteed roughly the same number of parking spots as exist today." Not long after the Bears deal was announced, the City Council "approved the plan," which is backed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The approval "came a week after the initially-scheduled vote had been postponed." Sources said last week that the Bears "were behind the postponement -- since it was Bears fans who would be inconvenienced, the team was holding out for a better deal" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/29).
