The Chicago Plan Commission gave the first approval on Thursday for Chicago Fire FC’s plans to build a $650 million soccer stadium at The 78, a 62-acre vacant site at Roosevelt Road and Clark Street in the South Loop.
But support for the project was divided during a lengthy public comment session. More than 30 people shared thoughts on the project, including subcontractors that have worked with The 78’s master developer Related Midwest and the Near South Planning Board, who anticipate the stadium bringing in a wave of economic development. Other speakers were residents from neighborhoods like Chinatown and Bronzeville, who expressed concerns over the short three-month timeline between the project’s announcement to the Plan Commission’s vote.
“If the community doesn’t even know this is happening, I think there needs to be more community engagement,” Angela Lin, co-president of People Matter, said. The community-based organization surveyed about 400 residents — mostly from Chinatown and Bronzeville — and found about 50% weren’t familiar with The 78.
The long-vacant land is one of the largest undeveloped parcels left in the city. After multiple projects that never made it past the conceptual stage, billionaire Chicago Fire FC owner Joe Mansueto announced in June he’d bankroll development of the 22,000-seat stadium for his club, which plays at Soldier Field.
Related Midwest presented what would be included in the first phase, such as 3 acres of sports fields, a new water taxi stop, public parking, Divvy bike stations, more than 1,400 feet of publicly accessible riverfront space,1 1/2 miles of bike trails and two temporary surface parking lots.
The developer envisions four districts surrounding the soccer stadium: Fireline District, River District, The Courtyards and The Wilds. Each district would include different public spaces.
Fireline, for example, would have a series of plazas serving as a “front door” to the stadium, Related Midwest Executive Vice President Ann Thompson said. The Courtyards would include residential, trails and “quieter, more introspective” spaces, whereas The Wilds would abut Ping Tom Memorial Park and include more native planting and recreational spaces, she said.
South Loop Neighbors’ survey in the summer of Near South Side homeowners and renters found nearly 73% of the 653 respondents were supportive of The 78 project. The largest portion of respondents were “strongly supportive,” accounting for 44.7%.
But concerns in the survey were similar to those neighbors expressed on Thursday: traffic congestion during events, public transit improvements and better pedestrian connectivity.
Chinatown residents expressed concerns about displacement and the fast pace at which the project came before planning commissioners. During a community meeting in July, neighbors said they were worried about affordable housing, the future of the Ping Tom Memorial Park and economic impacts such as being pricing out of the area.
Lin, of People Matter, said South Loop Neighborss survey didn’t include Bronzeville, Chinatown or Pilsen residents.
“How can we just talk about the Near South? We at least have to include communities of color that are surrounding it,” she said.
Lin called for more community engagement and a Community Benefits Agreement at the site.
Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd), whose ward houses the project, acknowledged the three-month timeline is short but said it’s been one of the most “productive, collaborative” efforts she’s witnessed.
There’s been at least nine public meetings since the stadium project was announced, according to Dowell.
The development team said Thursday another community meeting will come, though a date hasn’t been announced. At that meeting, they plan to provide more details regarding traffic, site connectivity, noise, safety and housing.
Dowell pushed back against Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) and others who express concerns about community awareness and the approval timeline. Sigcho-Lopez abstained from the vote.
“We have to be able to balance the needs of our community with the needs of the city,” Dowell said. “There’s a reason that [The 78 has] been sitting vacant for 50 years. And when you can have somebody come forward that can, without public assistance, help this land be a catalyst for something that is going to be better for Chicago, you have to balance that … with the need to develop a neighborhood that addresses the issues that are raised by the community.”
The 78’s rezoning agreement stipulates that any off-site affordable housing the development team considers be concentrated in Chinatown and Bronzeville. The Fire agreed to cap the number of annual events at the stadium to 45, in response to community concerns.
The agreement also said a second stadium can’t be built without the development team coming back to the Plan Commission and the community for consideration — an obstacle for the Chicago White Sox, who were eyeing a stadium at The 78.
Mansueto is privately financing the new stadium. But Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright said they’re in very early conversations over tax increment financing support for the site’s infrastructure. Since the plans for The 78 are different from what was approved in 2019, Boatright said the previous $551 million TIF request from Related Midwest will be revised.
The Plan Commission also gave the first approvals to the conversion of the Pittsfield Building — a Chicago Landmark that’s gone viral online thanks to owner Tom Liravongsa.
Liravongsa, known as “Tom the Skyscraper Guy,” has been showing off the 1920s building and his journey to convert it into modern apartments on TikTok and Instagram. He plans to create 214 apartments — 43 of them affordable — with retail and amenity spaces.
After asking social media users what they’d like to see at the property, Liravongsa is now planning an observation deck on its upper floors.
With deteriorating terra cotta and other extensive repairs needing to be made to the building, the project will cost about $195 million. It’s expected to be completed near the end of 2027.