Politics
Chicago Bears Call a Double Reverse, Telling Mayor Plan for New Domed Lakefront Stadium is On Ice
A rendering of an aerial view of the Chicago Bears property in Arlington Heights. (Courtesy of Hart Howerton / Chicago Bears) A rendering of an aerial view of the Chicago Bears property in Arlington Heights. (Courtesy of Hart Howerton / Chicago Bears)
The Chicago Bears called a double reverse Friday, telling Mayor Brandon Johnson the team had put their plan to build a futuristic domed lakefront stadium on ice and resurrected a proposal to move to Arlington Heights.
The announcement is a major blow to Johnson, who fully embraced the Bears’ vision for a reimagined Museum Campus and endorsed the team’s call for taxpayers to pick up approximately $2.4 billion of the total $4.75 billion cost of the project.
“The mayor spoke with executive leadership from the Chicago Bears, who indicated they intend to prioritize the development site located in the Village of Arlington Heights,” a spokesperson for Johnson said. “As the mayor has said several times, the door remains open in the city of Chicago.”
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But a year after that high-profile announcement, the Bears acknowledged the Chicago proposal had failed to win support from either state lawmakers or Gov. JB Pritzker, who declined to back a massive subsidy for a new Bears stadium that would demolish Solider Field when the taxpayer-funded renovation of that facility has yet to be paid off.
“Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,” according to a statement from the Bears, which was first reported by the Chicago Bears.
The team’s announcement caps a nearly four-year odyssey that began in 2021, when the once-and-perhaps future Monsters of the Midway announced they were considering purchasing the shuttered Arlington Park racetrack.
Then Mayor Lori Lightfoot scoffed at the team’s announcement and urged them to focus on beating the Packers.
The team called the mayor’s bluff, ignoring Lightfoot’s offer to put a dome over the lakefront stadium while expanding its seating capacity — funded, in part, by Chicago taxpayers.
Instead, the storied franchise bought the former Arlington International Racecourse property for $197.2 million and announced plans to build “an enclosed state-of-the-art stadium and multi-purpose entertainment district.”
But that plan faltered after Pritzker and state lawmakers rejected the team’s request for a subsidy and the team battled three nearby school districts, which rely on property taxes, over the assessed value of the site.
That prompted Bears Team President Kevin Warren to restart talks with Chicago, now led by Johnson after Lightfoot was defeated.
Although Johnson promised during the 2023 mayoral campaign to end decades of disinvestment on Chicago’s West and South sides, he enthusiastically endorsed the stadium project, calling the renderings of the futuristic oval-shaped stadium with a translucent roof “miraculous.”
Johnson also dismissed concerns that the new lakefront stadium would violate the city’s Lakefront Protection Ordinance, which does not allow “further private development be permitted east of Lake Shore Drive.”
As plans for a new stadium in Chicago stalled, the team settled its dispute with the school districts, and a new strategy to win financial assistance despite the governor’s opposition emerged. A bill pending in the General Assembly would freeze property tax assessments for designated “mega projects,” like a future Bears stadium, and allow tax bills to be set by local leaders.
A Long and Winding Circular Road
The Bears have long been frustrated by the limits of Soldier Field, and first threatened to move to Arlington Heights in the 1970s. A furious former Mayor Richard J. Daley dared the team to move and vowed to prevent them from using the name “Chicago” before musing aloud that no one would want to root for the Arlington Heights Bears.
Determined not to be the mayor who saw the beloved team leave Chicago, former Mayor Richard M. Daley greenlighted a renovation of the stadium bankrolled by Chicago’s 2% hotel tax in 2003. The work was supposed to cost $400 million, but the final bill totaled $609 million. Taxpayers still owe more than $600 million of that debt, according to estimates from the Illinois Sports Facility Authority.
Despite its massive price tag, the 2003 modernization of Solider Field, which cost the facility its status as a National Historic Landmark, failed to resolve the team’s long-festering grievances. The Bears have long wanted to own their own home turf that will allow them to maximize revenue — and play under a dome, shielded from what used to be known as Bear weather.
A domed stadium could also host a Super Bowl.
The team’s lease of Soldier Field from the Chicago Park District expires in 2033. The Bears pay $6.48 million annually to use Soldier Field and can terminate that agreement early, as long as the team pays a penalty.
Contact Heather Cherone:@HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 |[email protected]
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