Rate Field owners say ‘main priority’ is keeping White Sox from moving, as Bridgeport residents air concerns

The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority said this week it doesn’t support a South Loop stadium move for the Chicago White Sox, and shares Bridgeport residents’ concerns about a new Amtrak maintenance facility that could drastically change the dynamic of the South Side neighborhood.

The board meeting for ISFA, which owns Guaranteed Rate Field, came a day before Amtrak planned a Thursday evening community meeting to reveal more details about the facility that is drawing ire from residents over noise and air quality.

Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have also requested additional information from the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak after being contacted by residents and local elected officials in Bridgeport and Chinatown. The senators are asking for more transparency and communication as Amtrak tries to relocate its current 14th Street maintenance facility to what is now Union Pacific’s Canal Street Yard.

“The residents would like more information about the plans for the facility, its operations, and any expected community impacts, including but not limited to environmental concerns such as noise, safety, and traffic levels,” the senators wrote to FRA Administrator David Armstrong Fink and Interim President Byl Herrmann.

Leslie Darling, chair of the board of directors for ISFA, shared on Wednesday that the board learned about Amtrak’s plans to house a maintenance facility on South Canal Street between West 33th and 35th streets when plans were publicly released Aug. 14.

Darling said the board has not yet met with Amtrak about its plan, but noted that a White Sox move out of Bridgeport “would have substantial implications for all of us.”

“Our main priority is to keep the White Sox right here in our community. However, as most of you are aware, the current lease with the White Sox ends in 2029 and can continue as a one-year option to 2030,” Darling said. “Our goal is to keep them longer than that. But they do have a right to explore other options… We really want to keep them here, and we are working towards that.”

Darling said the board doesn’t have details of the plan and wants to meet with Amtrak to learn more.

“We do not have the authority to halt Amtrak’s proposal, but again, we share your concerns,” Darling said.

Canal Edge LLC — a company owned by White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia — released its plans for a mixed-use development called The Railyards on Sept. 5. Ishbia’s goal is to move the team to the South Loop location when the team’s lease at the publicly owned Rate Field ends. Amtrak is trying to move its current South Loop facility to Bridgeport and Chinatown.

Amtrak received more than $600 million and a “categorical exclusion” from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the facility’s move to Bridgeport, which would allow it to move forward without a full environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement “unless there are extraordinary circumstances.” There was, however, an environmental review process that included a noise/vibration/air quality review.

Deb Ahrens, a former Amtrak employee, was among Bridgeport community members who voiced their concerns about the impact of the maintenance facility in a residential neighborhood full of schools and homes. Ahrens said she worked at the South Loop facility and described it as full of “trash” and “rats.”

“If you ever get a chance, if you can get permission to visit their yards to see how they care of it, this is what will come to our community: rats, trash. And they talk about how they will upgrade security. Please. Too many times I got waved through by a guy reading a book. And at night, you see the trains with graffiti on them. It didn’t get there by themselves, and the rats didn’t paint it. There were people wandering around the yards at night,” Ahrens said. “We ask that you please support not letting them come to our community.”

Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) and Cook County Commissioner John Daley also spoke out about the new Amtrak facility — and a potential White Sox move.

“This is a disgrace when you look at what is being proposed,” Daley said. “…The proposal raises serious concerns about the long-term environment, including air quality, noise, traffic, safety, and over quality of life for the residents of Chinatown, Armour Park, Bridgeport and Wentworth Gardens.”

Daley said he wants the Illinois General Assembly to renegotiate the Rate Field lease, continue the lease “and keep the White Sox where they are.”

Lee said the future of Rate Field and of the White Sox are being decided by a private real estate deal, and not through a public process.

” [A Sox move] would be a devastating outcome for future development, for property values, for jobs, and for every young person who deserves better prospects than that,” Lee said.

Amtrak did not immediately respond to a request for comment.