Chicago’s Bulls & Hawks Amazing $7 Billion West Side Makeover

The Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks announced a $7 billion private investment to give the west side of Chicago adjacent to the United Center a major makeover. The project is being spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, which co-own the United Center and, respectively, own the Bulls and the Blackhawks.

According to their press release, The 1901 Project as it's been named, aims to "Transform the West Side with a jolt of new development, bridging neighborhoods and enhancing opportunities for residents, businesses and all of Chicago."

The 10-year project was inspired by Chicago's Latin motto, "Urbs in Horto," which translates to City in a Garden in English. One of the centerpieces of the project is a one-of-a-kind elevated park. It'll be an innovative green space integrated on the West Side of the campus, which will provide more than 10 acres of public recreational and community gathering space.

Other project parts include reimagining parking facilities, improving pedestrian walkability, and designing roads and bike lanes to blend into the development. The addition of a 6,000-seat music hall to attract music, arts, and cultural events and a new hotel and retail designed to boost local commerce and create jobs.

In a release, Danny Writz, one of the United Center's owners, said, “While this is just the beginning, we have already started to engage with our neighbors and community partners to identify areas of opportunity for community wealth generation from this private investment. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand on a legacy that makes all of Chicago proud.”

While Bulls and White Sox owner and co-chair of the United Center Joint Venture Jerry Reinsdorf said,  “We shared a commitment to our city and understood our responsibility to give back through our charity arms and by seeking out economic opportunities for our neighbors who live and work in and around the United Center. Today’s announcement builds on this effort led by both families to leave a lasting legacy on the West Side.”

Down the road, The1901 Project envisions housing that spans various unit sizes and includes affordable, market-rate, and luxury housing to ensure a vibrant mix of residential offerings for singles and families. Additionally, the project hopes to enhance transportation to connect the neighborhood through multiple means, including pedestrian, bike, car, and rail enhancements.

Alderman Walter Burnett of the 27th Ward spoke highly of the United Center and its leadership team, calling them strong and trusted partners. He said he looks forward to working with them on this project. He did point out that the project still requires feedback from both The City of Chicago and the community, yet Burnett said he was excited for this investment on the West Side, which is often overlooked for this private investment.

In my mind, this is a great investment in a part of Chicago that Alderman Burnett correctly identified as one that is largely overlooked for investment. The truth is that Chicago's West Side isn't a sexy part of the City. If anything, the perception is that it's a rough part of the City.

I'm not sure that the perception of the West Side will change with this investment, yet the building of the United Center in the early 1990s did spur some growth and development. So, bringing in retail, a hotel, and housing that's attractive to a variety of folks at different income levels will, I think, help the area significantly.

One thing that surprised me was that there was no talk of a new White Sox ballpark or home for the Chicago Bears in the plan. It almost seems a no-brainer that with all this investment in the area, Reinsdorf would want his ballclub to take advantage of what he's building for the Bulls and the Blackhawks. A new Bears stadium attached to the project would probably take either the McCaskey family or The City of Chicago bridging that topic.

That doesn't mean that neither of those things will happen as the project progresses. It might be something as simple as Reinsdorf wanting public money to help fund a new stadium for the White Sox, and bringing that into the equation at this point might just muddy the waters for this project. Not to mention, who knows if the Bears or the City were even aware this was happening until the public announcement.

Of course, building a ballpark or a football stadium, which would probably tower over the United Center and many other buildings in the neighborhood, might not be in line with the teams' desires to create a sense of community and a garden in the City. That said, the area around The United Center is one of the better places for new sports infrastructure.

I know one thing: this investment in the West Side of Chicago is good for the City, the neighborhood, the United Center, the teams that play there, and those fans coming out to any event at the arena.