Candidates for Arlington Heights mayor disagree if the village’s next leader should be more proactive or methodical when it comes to the redevelopment of Arlington Park, whether with a Bears stadium or something else.
All three candidates — Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jon Ridler and current village trustees Jim Tinaglia and Tom Schwingbeck — say they want to be part of discussions that could finally lead to the Bears choosing the 326-acre former racetrack property as their new home.
But the candidates’ approaches vary.
In an interview with the Daily Herald Editorial Board, Ridler said as mayor he would immediately establish a public-private economic development council to generate ideas about what should be built on the property’s other 200 acres next to a potential NFL stadium.
Arlington Heights mayoral candidates Jim Tinaglia, from left, Jon Ridler and Tom Schwingbeck look over their nominating petitions during candidate filing Nov. 12, 2024 at village hall. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com, November 2024
Having developers and builders at such a table would get ideas flowing and “encourage and excite a developer like the Bears to come to Arlington Heights,” Ridler said.
There’s “too few people making too many decisions,” he added, and called for a collaborative regional approach that would include the mayors and managers of Rolling Meadows and Palatine.
Ridler says his worst fear is if the Bears don’t do anything and let the property sit vacant.
Jon Ridler
“We can’t be on our heels because if we’re status quo, we’re losing,” Ridler said. “We need to be visionary.”
Tinaglia countered that the process shouldn’t be rushed, saying it could go badly if issues such as safety, traffic, economics and infrastructure aren’t properly reviewed.
The village can afford to take its time from a financial perspective, he added, since the racetrack — when it was fully operating — paid $3 million a year in property taxes and $850,000 in sales taxes. The Bears are paying $3.6 million for the vacant land now, under the recent village-brokered tax settlement with area school districts.
And though he didn’t mention by name Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren, who has suggested the team will have shovels in the ground for a new stadium in 2025, Tinaglia said such a prediction is “misinformed” and “impossible.”
Jim Tinaglia
“What we need to do is protect,” Tinaglia said. “We need to make sure whatever happens, whatever gets proposed there, is really well thought out and careful.”
Tinaglia, a local architect, committed to having no professional involvement in designing buildings on the site, saying such big projects are left to national firms.
Schwingbeck said he’d like a seat at the table with the Bears to see what he can do to get them to come to Arlington Heights, but added it’s “extremely difficult” for the village board to commit to any type of resources or incentives — short of a commitment or formal proposal from the team.
At the same time, he says he won’t set up a situation that would financially burden future generations.
“Whatever goes there, we most likely are going to support some infrastructure improvements,” Schwingbeck said. “But it has to bring in a positive revenue stream to Arlington Heights, and it can’t negatively affect our residents and our businesses. It has to be compatible, not competitive, with businesses around town — north, south and especially our beautiful downtown.”
Tom Schwingbeck
If the Bears don’t come to town, do the candidates have a plan B?
Ridler envisions a privately-owned recreation center that could be a destination for travel youth sports, a concert venue, hotels, and corporate restaurants and retail “that will not decimate our downtown,” he said.
As he has in the past, Tinaglia suggested the property could fit not only an NFL stadium but an MLB ballpark, too. Add in a convention center with shared parking, restaurants and hotels and it would become a “tax machine” that would benefit residents, he said.
“It needs to be an entertainment destination,” Tinaglia said. “I don’t know if the Bears will for sure come, but if they don’t, I think we’re on the world stage now. People know Arlington Heights is open for business.”
Schwingbeck suggested a 55 and older community with associated amenities like walking paths, biking trails and a community center — in response to residents who have expressed the need for smaller ranch homes that would allow them to stay in Arlington Heights as they age.
But it shouldn’t be a dense residential development with school-age children that could be a burden on the school districts, Schwingbeck added.
A Ravinia-style indoor and outdoor music venue would also work, he said.