The Big Stadium Reveal: Emanuel Announces Projects for McCormick Place/Motor Row Area

Plans for new "Event Center" and Hotels on Cermak

After months of speculation, debate, objections, praise and everything else in between, Mayor Emanuel is officially unveiling some major projects slated for the Motor Row/Prairie District/McCormick Place area (via Crain's):

A final deal has been struck to build a 10,000-seat arena across the street from McCormick Place that will be the new home of the DePaul Blue Demons basketball team and host smaller conferences, meetings, concerts and other sporting events. As part of that undertaking, a 500-room hotel will be erected kitty-corner from a 1,100-room "headquarters" hotel that already had been announced. 

For those of us who have been diligently following this, broadly speaking there isn't much new news.  The price-tag is high ($177 million for the stadium construction and land), but lower than what was reported earlier in the week.

If this plan takes shape, the south side of the Sloop is in for some colossal changes.  There will be some additional press conferences later in the day and from what it sounds like there are still a lot of hurdles to get over.  Stay thirsty my friends...