Chicago Bears (again) eye Arlington Heights for new stadium site
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Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren at Soldier Field in 2024. Photo: Ben Hsu/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Three years after the Chicago Bears announced plans to build a new stadium, the franchise seems caught in a rinse-and-repeat cycle.
Why it matters: The Bears are again widening the scope for a new stadium spot beyond downtown, which could upend the tradition of Bears home games played within city limits.
The latest: Last week, team president Kevin Warren said northwest suburban Arlington Heights could be the next stadium site.
What they're saying: "The focus now is both downtown and Arlington Heights," Warren told reporters at the NFL owners meeting.
- "These are not linear processes or projects. They take time, they take a lot of energy and effort."
- The team hopes to break ground by this summer, months later than originally planned.
Flashback: Just last year, the Bears teamed up with the City of Chicago to unveil sweeping plans to build a new domed stadium just south of Soldier Field.
- The city's contribution included park space and fields for high school sports.
By the numbers: The goal was to head down to Springfield and persuade the governor and General Assembly to cough up billions in taxpayer dollars.
Yes, but: Gov. JB Pritzker threw cold water on that plan, and there is no related movement in this year's spring legislative session.
- Also, the parks advocacy group Friends of the Park has threatened litigation if they choose to build near the lakefront.
Zoom out: Other stadium sites have emerged, and the Indiana Legislature is commissioning a committee to entice the Bears across the state line.
Reality check: Those proposals don't come with guaranteed money to publicly fund a new stadium.
The intrigue: The Bears haven't mentioned any of the other proposals, but do own the former Arlington Park Racetrack. If they plan to build there, it could signal they are ready to fund this new stadium privately.
- The state or the Village of Arlington Heights would still have to use taxpayer dollars to update and improve transit and infrastructure in the area, but it would be a lot less than asking the state for billions of dollars.
Zoom in: The Bears are commissioning studies to see whether the site is viable, while Arlington Heights' new mayor is pushing to get a deal done.
- Warren also talked about building a stadium district around a new dome, which would include hotels, retail and other developments.
Between the lines: Stadium districts are trendy. In Chicago, the Ricketts family has done that around Wrigley Field, and Jerry Reinsdorf wants something similar for any new White Sox stadium.
- The Bears couldn't do that on the Museum Campus.
The bottom line: If the Bears want to break ground on a new stadium this summer, they would have to choose a location soon.