Cubs to move forward with Wrigley renovation, Tom Ricketts says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a new video that the organization is moving forward with its original Wrigley Field renovation plans.

Chicago's City Council approved the $500 million plan to renovate Wrigley and develop the land around it, including two massive outfield signs needed to bankroll the project without a public subsidy.

But until now, Ricketts had refused to proceed with construction without a guarantee that the rooftops would not file suit to block the project.

It appears Thursday that the two sides have reached an impasse, and the Cubs are pressing on.

Ricketts made his case in a six-minute video posted to the Wrigley Field website overnight.

"I have to put the team and the fans first," Ricketts said in the video. "We cannot delay any longer. The time to build a winner is now."

The Cubs also released a written letter to fans overnight, outlining the proposal they will present to the city of Chicago.

He took fans inside the 100-year-old ballpark and talked about how the old facility is in desperate need of an upgrade. Ricketts said he and his family are tired of negotiating and are apparently getting nowhere with rooftop owners.

Ricketts claims an upgraded Wrigley Field will help with their efforts to not only invest in their community, but also to win a World Series.

Here is what the new proposal entails:

Rooftop owners say they have proposed numerous compromise solutions, all of which the Cubs have rejected.

Wrigleyville Rooftops Association spokesman Ryan McLaughlin released this statement on Thursday:

"The Ricketts family's decision to unilaterally end negotiations with their contractual partners is another refusal to accept any of the proposed win-win solutions that could have funded the modernization of Wrigley Field and enhance the team's competitiveness. In fact, it appears their zeal to block rooftop owners who pay them millions of dollars a year in royalties knows no bounds. Unfortunately, this decision by the Ricketts family will now result in this matter being resolved in a court of law."

The association also pointed out that current Cubs President Crane Kenney and legal counsel Mike Lufrano negotiated the contract with the rooftops over 10 years ago.

Many Cubs fans backed Ricketts on Thursday.

"It's his park," Cubs fan Ken Hankel said. "I know there are legal ramifications with the rooftop owners. But if he's got to make the money, they're not going to make it for him."

Cubs officials admit privately they expect to be sued regardless, so they may as well start the project and ask the city for a little more. Rather than the original two signs they asked for in the outfield, the team will now ask the City Council to approve five more for a total of seven, including two video replay boards. 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney says he wants the Cubs to move forward with the projects that will spur hundreds of millions of dollars in economic development, but he opposes the team's new request.

"We gave them so many concessions and so many ways to make revenue. And I believe that was the fair compromise. And while I disagreed with some parts of it, we moved it forward," Tunney said.

The Cubs say they plan to release renderings of their proposed changes next week.