Related Midwest's Curt Bailey (Getty, Related Companies, Instagram)
As the Chicago Bears stadium will-they-won’t-they saga continues, more and more developers are coming up with public pitches to try and keep the Monsters of the Midway in Illinois.
The latest pitch comes from Related Midwest, even though the NFL franchise has been silent on recent public attempts to coax them to stay in Chicago.
Chicago-based Related Midwest’s pitch utilizes land it already controls, according to Crain’s. Company president Curt Bailey told the outlet that they already have a site, a 440-acre property that used to be a U.S. Steel South Works location situated on Lake Michigan. Additional positives include proximity to other developments and infrastructure improvements that are already underway.
Bailey contends that his company’s proposal has an edge on other similar proposals, like Farpoint’s Michael Reese hospital site or the Sterling Bay proposal to put a Bears stadium development in Bridgeport if the White Sox were to leave Rate Field for Justin Ishbia’s The Railyards. Related Midwest’s proposal is less disruptive to housing, as the redevelopment of the Michael Reese site faced questions on how it would impact nearby apartment buildings and Bridgeport’s Rate Field sits in the middle of offices and housing.
The biggest barrier to a new Bears stadium still remains in Springfield. The House is still mulling over the stadium authority model, which would let the Bears build their stadium on public land, allowing them to duck property taxes. Previous plans for a new stadium that included public subsidies fizzled out.
The Bears have publicly committed to building a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, but have strategically left the door open for an Illinois-based development. Over the past few months, team officials have been meeting with officials from the NFL and Illinois. The meetings and pitches from Chicago-based developers like Related Midwest and Sterling Bay have rekindled hope that Chicago has a puncher’s chance to retain their beloved football team.
— Hunter Cooke