White Sox's Incoming Owner Unveils $900M "Railyards" Stadium Concept in Chicago

Image: AECOM

Justin Ishbia, the Chicago White Sox's incoming majority owner, has unveiled early plans for "The Railyards" -- a roughly $900 million riverside stadium and mixed-use development proposed for a 47-acre former Amtrak rail yard along the Chicago River, between Roosevelt Road and 18th Street. Ishbia's investment vehicle, Canal Edge LLC -- in which he has put more than $125 million -- commissioned initial renderings from AECOM to accompany the announcement.

Image: Justin Myers/Chicago Public Media

The White Sox currently play at their long-time ballpark on the South Side. A riverside site closer to downtown, with direct water access and room for the kind of mixed-use development modern ballparks are increasingly built to anchor, would mark a major shift in the team's footprint and its relationship to the city.

At this stage it remains a concept, not a commitment: the proposal is in early feasibility studies, a multi-year planning and approval process still lies ahead, and the City of Chicago -- where 28th Ward Alderman Jason Ervin has been among the officials named alongside the project -- has said only that it will facilitate review if it advances. No formal approval has been sought, and there's no public funding plan or timeline on the table yet.