New White Sox Stadium Could Anchor Multibillion-Dollar South Loop Development

Residents and Business Owners Mostly Optimistic About Potential Neighborhood Rejuvenation

Chicago developer Related Midwest has plans to use a new White Sox stadium as a catalyst for a multibillion-dollar development on vacant South Loop land known as The 78. The development would include 5,000 residential units, an office building, a hotel, and dozens of restaurants and bars.
The 35,000-to-38,000-seat stadium would serve as the new home for the White Sox and be part of a larger plan to revitalize the downtown area. The stadium would replace the Chicago casino that Related Midwest once hoped to attract.
Questions remain about how much Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf would contribute to the new ballpark and what level of public financing would be needed. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expressed skepticism about public funding for stadiums.
The White Sox's current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires after the 2029 season. If the team moved, the ballpark would need a new user, with some suggesting the Chicago Fire soccer team could move there.
South Loop business owners and residents are mostly optimistic about the possibility of the White Sox building a stadium in The 78. Some are concerned about increased traffic, but others are excited about the potential for neighborhood rejuvenation.