"I really wasn't sure how that was going to come out, to be honest," Lee said the day after the election. "While I was watching the returns, I was like, 'Oh, this is doing pretty well.'"

The measure was designed to gauge public interest after years of pushback from residents who oppose privately run festivals in public parks, from Lollapalooza in Grant Park to Riot Fest in Douglass Park. But despite the strong electoral showing, there are no clear next steps. Lee said she wants to keep the conversation going.

"I didn't have any huge expectations about what immediately comes next," she said. "I think post-COVID, and how Downtown has continued to struggle to recover, we need to think about creating and spreading the wealth a little bit more, creating economic centers."

Lee envisions a destination with better infrastructure than the city's current green spaces, including permanent bathrooms, which could better serve attendees and prevent damage to parks. Both Lollapalooza and Riot Fest took place on rain-soaked weekends this year, leaving host parks torn up and muddy. Festival organizers are contractually required to pay for repairs, but neighbors around Douglass Park have complained that repairs move slowly and leave sections of the grounds unusable for extended periods. Muddy conditions and a lack of accessibility infrastructure also raise concerns for attendees with disabilities.

Supporters have pointed to Milwaukee's Summerfest grounds, which are city-owned and operated year-round through a nonprofit, as a model. Lee said she also had Ravinia in mind. "The question for me was, what would the experience be like?" she said. "I just love going to Ravinia and having a permanent structure and that predictability. We keep talking about predictability and stability, and that to me feels like something that can be done in that way."

The location remains an open question. "We have a lot of different neighborhoods that have available land," Lee said. She has suggested Soldier Field could be an option if the Chicago Bears leave the lakefront stadium. "If the Bears are moving out, we have to find another purpose for it," Lee told the Sun-Times before Election Day. "We know that the venue itself being used for concerts and other type events is lucrative to the city and the park district at the end of the day, so I think it behooves us to really look for those opportunities."

Community organizer Sara Heymann with Únete La Villita, a group that has spent years pushing for Riot Fest to leave Douglass Park, pointed to the new South Loop development known as The 78 or the former Damen Silos site as possible locations. Wherever it goes, Heymann wants it near public transportation and fully accessible.

Some caution that a permanent festival ground could replicate problematic arrangements. The city-owned Northerly Island venue is operated by Live Nation under a contract that critics say excludes independent artists and events. A new Vanderbilt University report found such deals are disproportionately favorable to Live Nation, citing a lack of competitive bidding, below-market rent, and the corporation's ability to sell naming rights for publicly owned venues. The team behind Bookclub Chicago also highlighted the Northerly Island arrangement as a cautionary tale in a social media video.

Lee said she is open to a city-run and operated venue. "I think that can be revenue generating," she said, adding that she is also willing to explore partnerships. "I think if we can get creative with a partner, I think that there's possibilities that are worth exploring."

Concerns have also been raised about what a permanent festival ground could mean for the city's smaller, independently owned music venues, many of which have struggled financially in recent years. Any proposal will need to balance the demand for a dedicated festival space with the health of Chicago's existing live music ecosystem.