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The city is holding a public hearing on landmarking Wrigley Field Wednesday. (J. Swart/AP)

The Chicago Department of Planning and Development's landmark commission will hold a public hearing on Wednesday on whether it will designate portions of the ballpark as landmarks.

Wednesday's meeting is the last chance for the Cubs to publicly state why the landmark status is a mistake. Team president Andy MacPhail was expected to make a statement along with a representative from the Boston Red Sox.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig joined the Cubs' campaign and urged the commission not to do so.

"No city in America has ever used a landmarks designation as an effective means to preserve a ballpark," Selig said in a letter dated March 7 to the commission. "What you are considering is unprecedented and, while done in the spirit of preservation, will likely precipitate the loss of Wrigley Field. ... It will be the first step toward the ultimate loss of the ballpark."

"Everyone's goal is to keep Wrigley Field viable for years to come," MacPhail said in a statement included with Selig's letter. "The commissioner's comments make the case that landmarking will hamper our efforts to achieve that goal."

Last week, the Landmarks Commission endorsed Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's plan to recommend landmark status for Wrigley Field's most historic elements instead of pushing for a blanket designation. The commission was expected to include Wrigley's ivy-covered brick walls, the scoreboard, the marquee sign at Clark and Addison, and the "open nature and sweep" of the grandstands and bleachers.

The commission will take the comments from Wednesday's hearing, which also will include testimony from Chicago aldermen and Wrigleyville community group leaders, and review it before making a final decision. The commission will then set a date to vote on the language. The landmark designation still must be approved by the Chicago City Council before it would be official.

In his letter, Selig said the designation would tie the Cubs' hands in a way that ignores the "ever-changing economics" of baseball.

The Cubs, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are the only teams to still play in stadiums built before 1962.

"Changes to Wrigley Field apparently will now be subject to the subjective tastes and individual notions of designers, preservationists and community leaders who cannot be expected to understand the competitive nuances of professional baseball," Selig said in his letter.

"Every change to Wrigley Field impacts both preservation issues and the ability of the Cubs to field a winning team. If one favors preservation at the expense of operating competitiveness, stadiums become an albatross and are replaced."

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.