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Docket No. 93852-Agenda 17-November 2002.

FRIENDS OF THE PARKS et al., Appellants, v. THE 
CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT et al., Appellees.

Opinion filed February 21, 2003.

JUSTICE KILBRIDE delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiffs, Friends of the Parks, together with 11 individualmembers of that organization and the Landmarks PreservationCouncil of Illinois, sued the Chicago Park District (Park District),the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (Authority), the ChicagoBears Football Club, Inc. (Bears), the Chicago Bears StadiumL.L.C. (Stadium), and the City of Chicago (City) seeking adeclaratory judgment that section 3 of the Illinois Sports FacilitiesAuthority Act (Act) (70 ILCS 3205/1 et seq. (West 2000)), asamended by Public Act 91-0935, eff. June 1, 2001, isunconstitutional. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss, alleging,inter alia, that plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge thelegislation. The trial court dismissed all but two counts ofplaintiffs' complaint and, subsequently, granted defendants'motion for summary judgment. Plaintiffs appealed pursuant toSupreme Court Rule 301 (155 Ill. 2d R. 301). We granted leave toappeal directly to this court pursuant to Supreme Court Rule302(b) (134 Ill. 2d R. 302(b)) and granted leave to OpenlandsProject to file a brief as amicus curiae (see 155 Ill. 2d R. 345). Theonly issues for our determination are whether the legislation: (1)violates the requirement in article VIII, section 1(a), of the IllinoisConstitution that public funds, property or credit shall be used onlyfor public purposes (see Ill. Const. 1970, art. VIII,