CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears’ potential move to Indiana took another step forward on Thursday when a key committee approved a plan to create an agency that would help get a stadium built.
The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee passed a bill establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond.
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date,” the team said in a statement. “We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”
Republican Gov. Mike Braun and lawmakers in Indiana have been aggressive in trying to lure the founding NFL franchise across the state line amid a yearslong effort to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois. The Bears did not mention Illinois in their statement.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, was caught off guard by the Hammond announcement and “very disappointed” the Bears didn’t acknowledge the progress made with his state. He told reporters at an event in downstate Collinsville that his staff conducted more than three hours of “very positive discussions” with the Bears on Wednesday.
“(We) mostly agreed on a bill that would move forward this morning,” he said. “We’re waiting to hear from the Bears what they’d like to do next.”
The Bears’ focus for a new home had fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.
They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.
In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site.
Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as president three years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders. But in December, the Bears announced they were also considering Northwest Indiana.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since.
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