Ricketts makes his case for open-air plaza outside Wrigley Field

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts on Wednesday likened an open-air plaza outside a renovated Wrigley Field to the town squares of old Europe and said he has no intention of turning the plaza into what community leaders have derisively branded the “Midwest’s largest beer garden.”

In a luncheon address to a friendly audience — the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce — Ricketts maintained that he “had a deal” with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and local Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) before Tunney changed the plaza rules in the middle of the game.

“This is not a beer garden . . . This is not an all-night rave party. This is for people that are coming to the game. Something for them to do after the game — to watch the post-game show to hang out for a little bit. We’re not planning on staying open late or doing anything that would be inconsistent with our goal to be responsible neighbors,” Ricketts told reporters after the speech at Wrigley’s Audi Club.

The Cubs chairman argued that his billionaire family has earned the benefit of the doubt after spending $750 million of its own money to renovate Wrigley and develop the land around it and painstakingly preserving a 102-year-old stadium widely known as a shrine of Major League Baseball.

“If anyone doubts the credibility of this family or that management team, they’re crazy . . . We have delivered everything we said we were gonna deliver on the field . . . And now, we’re trying to deliver everything we were promised and said we would do just outside the field,” Ricketts said.

“People think of this as some kind of crazy commercial venture for me, but it’s not. This is my family’s legacy. The way this plaza turns out, the way this neighborhood turns out, the way the restaurants that we pick turn out, the way this ends up and how neighbors feel about it and use it means a lot to me and it means a lot to my family.”

Tunney shot back Wednesday afternoon. He countered that before a liquor license is granted, the city must first “address the issues that come with a 365-day-a-year, 12-hour-a-day outdoor beer garden serving 4,000” patrons.

“With these significant issues in mind, I proposed a plaza ordinance that allowed beer and wine service and events on a more limited basis while we worked through any problems. I was happy to learn today that Tom Ricketts agrees with me on only serving beer and wine,” the alderman said in an emailed statement.

The aldermen noted that the planned development approved with his support includes a hotel and office building with more than 100,000 square feet of new food and beverage space.

“I commend the Cubs commitment to family-friendly events on the plaza . . . but join members of the community in remaining very concerned with the potential problems that would come with serving alcohol to thousands of people on the plaza every day of the year,” he said.

Last month, the Cubs accused Tunney of “fronting” for Clark Street bars and tried a squeeze play that could pave the way for the open-air plaza to offer extended liquor sales in time for an expected post-season run by the team with the best record in Major League Baseball.

Levy Restaurants applied for a patio permit that would allow liquor sales on the plaza for the extended hours included in Tunney’s original 2013 outdoor patio ordinance: until 11 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The patio license would also pave the way for the sale of mixed drinks in addition to beer and wine.

Tunney countered by proposing stricter rules that Ricketts refuses to accept.

Tunney’s latest version would limit liquor sales to beer and wine and cut off the spigot at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends. Those limited liquor sales would be allowed only during “stadium events” such as games and concerts, or up to eight special events-per-year, each requiring its own special permit.

On game and concert days, attendance at the open-air plaza would be limited to fans with tickets. Beer and wine sales would start two hours before the game or concert and stop after the seventh inning or one hour before the Wrigley concert ends. The drinks would have to be consumed on the plaza or inside the stadium.

During Wednesday’s luncheon at Wrigley’s Audi Club, Ricketts once again likened the plaza to a town square in old Europe and said it would be “programmed” with such family-friendly activities as an ice skating rink, movie nights, yoga classes and even a food-and-wine festival.

He wants the “world-class destination” to be such a bevy of activity, Wrigleyville residents will get up in the morning and ask themselves, “What’s going on on the plaza today?”

That prompted a business owner who did not identify herself to ask Ricketts why liquor sales are needed at all at the open-air plaza.

“There’s a lot of days where we are not gonna plan anything that involves alcohol. It’ll be a family event. But on game days, honestly, that’s really the best way to serve our fans. It’s kind of what people generally expect when they get to a ballpark,” Ricketts said.

The Cubs chairman noted that the “game day experience starts outside the ballpark” and at least four other cities with Major League Baseball franchises have “given streets” to their local teams. It was Tunney who first suggested the plaza idea after nixing the team’s original plan to “program” Sheffield Avenue., Ricketts said.

“The fact is, it’s our property. It’s what we negotiated. And we just think it’s the right answer to let us continue to do what we already discussed,” he said.

Aside from the beer and wine sales-only stipulation that was part of the 2013 agreement, Ricketts was asked whether any of the new rules that Tunney wants to impose would be acceptable to the Cubs.

“At this point, we want to get back to where we were — to the deal we all agreed to a few years ago. Other than that, I don’t think I should have to accept anything,” he said.

The City Council plays no role in granting a patio license. It’s approved by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Liquor Control Commission.

But if Emanuel sides with Tunney, as the mayor did during the marathon negotiations that preceded City Council approval of Wrigley renovation, the patio license will be blocked and Ricketts will be forced to negotiate.

On Wednesday, Ricketts was asked what leverage he has to dictate his own terms. Doesn’t City Hall have him over a barrel, now that he’s midway through a $750 million project built entirely with the family’s own money?

“I don’t know about that. The fact is that we had an understanding a couple years ago. All we want is to get back to where we were. And if something changes, we’ll see where it goes,” he said.