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How We Got The Story: Talking to neighbors with a stadium in their back yards

Among the most frequent stories you may read in the Daily Herald are those that have to do with the impact of proposed and actual redevelopment projects - from townhouse subdivisions to new businesses - on the neighborhoods around them. And almost always, we're writing about developments here in the suburbs of Chicago.

But it's true, you didn't pick up a copy of the Los Angeles Times on July 27 and see a front page centerpiece story about Inglewood, California, residents and business owners, whose back yards are in the shadow of the massive SoFi Stadium.

As part of our continuing coverage on the future of Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, we decided to talk to a few of the Californians at the foot of the $5.5 billion NFL stadium, which is part of a still-to-come 298-acre retail, office, residential and entertainment complex on the old Hollywood Park racetrack site.

My editors and I thought their experiences - of when a football stadium comes to a former horse racing track surrounded by a neighborhood - could shed some light on what might be if the Chicago Bears were to move to Arlington Park, amid the NFL franchise's interest in the 326 acres in Arlington Heights.

In its approach, the story is an outgrowth of a tutorial held at the Daily Herald offices several years ago for our staff and other newspapers in the Midwest. In the training session, we examined the value of using comparisons to help tell stories. For instance, if one of our local towns is dealing with a major issue, the reporter looks to another geographic area that dealt with something similar to learn about their experiences.

Of course, there isn't a one-to-one comparison between Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Inglewood, California. They are entirely different towns, and arguably, we could have chosen other American cities to compare.

But among the parallels: Hollywood Park was owned by Churchill Downs Inc. until it was sold for redevelopment. Churchill, of course, is the very same corporation that's selling the historic Arlington Park oval and surrounding property. And like the SoFi neighborhood, Arlington Park is surrounded by homes and businesses that will have to deal with construction activity and more traffic if the Bears come to town, or if something else is redeveloped there.

Finding subjects who were willing to talk to a Chicago-area newspaper was initially a challenge. But I've often found that the best stories come from making that extra call or asking that extra question.

After contacting a number of businesses in the SoFi neighborhood - many were too busy to talk or said they'd have the owner call back - I called Bourbon Street Fish & Grill, located kitty-corner from the Forum arena and across the street from SoFi. The business owner, Derrick Brown, seemed busy, too, but after I told him who I was and why I was calling, he said he had a story for me.

Brown's New Orleans-style eatery had just served its last po'boy weeks before, after his landlord evicted him and sold the land to a developer. Brown said he had been looking forward to the start of the football season and what the new redevelopment could mean for his business. Now, he's searching for a new location.

"So unfortunately, it didn't benefit me at all," Brown said of the Hollywood Park redevelopment.

People everywhere have stories to tell about what's going on in their back yards. I'm thankful to Mr. Brown for trusting me to tell his story to readers in ours.

When a football stadium moves next door: What SoFi neighbors can tell those near Arlington Park

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