Under Ricketts' ownership, the Cubs have spent nearly $250M on various Wrigleyville projects GETTY IMAGES
Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts said that he and his family "intend to leave a lasting imprint on Wrigley Field and its surrounding neighborhood and, with every new construction and renovation project that changes its look and feel, help shape the evolving culture of the venerated, baseball-centered community," according to Phil Thompson of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Ricketts said, "This is my (and) my family's legacy: to make this a better neighborhood, a better place to live and a better place to be on game days." He added, "We're not taking the short-term approach. We're going to try to do things the right way, do things in a way that really makes Wrigley like a town square." Thompson notes the Cubs have spent $750M on a "five-year plan to upgrade the ballpark" and nearly $250M on Wrigleyville projects that "include the Gallagher Way plaza, Hotel Zachary and a team office building." All of it has "helped usher in a modest building boom" that includes the $150M Addison & Clark apartment and retail complex. However, some "bemoan that gritty Wrigleyville is being made over into a slicker 'Rickettsville.'" Ricketts: "Everyone's a little nervous when there's any change -- on a lot of levels. ... So when someone says they're going to fix it, then people get nervous. (But) I don't think there's a fan out there who thinks the field has gotten worse. Hopefully, people trust us by now" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/3).
