Navy Pier - Plans

Plans

On January 13, 2006, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority released plans for a major renovation of the Pier, which would include a monorail, a 260-foot (79 m) spokeless Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, floating hotel, and an 80,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) water park with a Great Lakes theme. The plan would include nearly double the current parking and a replacement theater with a greater capacity. At the time of the announcement, a price tag of $2 billion was announced. No concrete progress was made on those proposals, as the financial condition of the Pier suffered with the recession.

Following the reorganization of the agency that runs Navy Pier and McCormick Place, a new study was commissioned to reinvigorate the upgrade process. The new study, by the Urban Land Institute, was released on November 11, 2010, and recommends a more modest set of enhancements aimed at retaining the Pier's role as a public space, rather than turning it into a theme park. Suggested elements include a concert venue, an enlarged Chicago Shakespeare Festival space, new restaurants, a renovated commercial area around the Pier's entrance, and additional park-like features to bring people closer to the lake. If the Children's Museum moves, the plan also suggests replacing it with another attraction focused on children. More grandiose possibilities, including the enlarged Ferris wheel and a hotel, are mentioned as more remote possibilities.