The Bears would pitch in $2 billion, plus use a $300 million loan from the NFL; billions more in taxpayer money would be used to finance the other half of the stadium as well as to make infrastructure improvements and add park and public space to the area.
Arlington International Racecourse
Mayor Brandon Johnson enthusiastically endorsed the plans for a new stadium, calling the renderings of the futuristic oval-shaped stadium with a translucent roof “miraculous.”
The news that the Bears now want to remain the Chicago Bears in more than just name is the latest twist in the team’s high-profile search for their forever home that faces at least two major obstacles: the need for millions of dollars from taxpayers to subsidize the new stadium and an all-but-certain legal challenge.
Several news organizations on Monday morning reported that the team has backed off possible plans to build a stadium in suburban Arlington Heights and will instead now provide private funding for a new publicly owned stadium in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears have been stymied thus far in plans to win tax breaks to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. That’s opened the door to other communities to try and lure the team, but Chicago might still be in the game. Could the city come up with a late comeback and lure the Bears to stay?
The north suburban community of Waukegan is the latest town to get in on the high-stakes game of bidding for the Chicago Bears, joining Naperville, Chicago and Arlington Heights.
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren met Wednesday, a clear sign that relations between the city and the Monsters of the Midway have thawed, which may set the stage for talks to keep the team in Chicago, if not at Soldier Field.
Conversations about alternate locations for a new Bears stadium have also reignited the possibility of the team sticking with the city, with a source telling WTTW News that talks between the city of Chicago and the team could resume as early as this week.
Building a stadium on the former Arlington Heights racetrack “is no longer our singular focus,” said Scott Hagel, the Bears senior vice president of marketing and communications.
The Chicago Bears are on the verge of leaving its home of 51 years, despite efforts by Mayor Lori Lightfoot to keep the team in Chicago.
The Bears hosted a community meeting Thursday in north suburban Arlington Heights about their plans for a new stadium and entertainment district, and there’s no shortage of opinions.
In renderings released Tuesday of a proposed master plan for Arlington Park, the Bears stressed that the “stadium shown is a placeholder and not an actual design.” But that didn't stop people from poking fun at the artwork.
The Bears announced “an informational community meeting” will be held Sept. 8 during which the team’s potential purchase and redevelopment of the former Arlington International Racecourse will be discussed.
The Duchossois family — whose late patriarch, Richard Duchossois, purchased Arlington Park in 1983 — has announced the sale of its 246.5-acre Hill ‘N Dale Farm South property to Barrington-based Citizens for Conservation, ensuring the land’s protection as open space in perpetuity.
Mayor Lightfoot unveiled three options to renovate Soldier Field, ranging in price from $900 million to $2.2 billion. The mayor, who is running for a second term, declined to say how much public funding she was prepared to spend to prevent the Bears from leaving the city and moving to Arlington Heights.
Governor says city, team need to ‘work out their differences’
While Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he’d be disappointed if the Chicago Bears no longer played in the Windy City, he said the state isn’t planning on intervening and that city officials and the team need to “work out their differences.”
