Tag: bears stadium

Why Arlington Heights might be the best choice for new Bears stadium

The Bears are looking for a solution to their stadium crisis. Here’s why Arlington Heights might be the best option.

The search for a site for a new Chicago Bears stadium continues, and it sounds like Arlington Heights is back to be being a possibility.

This is a discourse that has been going on for a long time. Are the Bears going to stay in Chicago to play on the lakefront just south of Soldier Field or are they going to head east to the suburbs?

The best option for the Bears is to move to Arlington Heights with a brand-new stadium. If they do that, the overall fan experience would be much better and the business opportunity will be incredible.

Both a lakefront and suburban stadium would allow the Bears to host other huge events — including Final Fours, concerts and even a Super Bowl, which would be quite profitable.

While Arlington Heights is an hour outside of Chicago, a suburban stadium site would provide a more fan-friendly experience than downtown on the lakefront, where recent stadium renderings failed to account for parking. Not to mention, the downtown traffic makes the game-day experience inconvenient on most occasions.

Moving to Arlington Heights could cure these problems if the Bears do it the right way. It seems as if president/CEO Kevin Warren is the kind of guy to do it the right way if he’s going to pursue it, but it remains to be seen if that’s the case. With a nice stadium and good vibes, the Bears may even start playing some good football to go with it.

Report: Arlington Heights remains in contention for Bears stadium

According to Mark Carman, the Bears have made “progress” with Arlington Heights regarding a stadium deal.

The Chicago Bears’ search for a new stadium site continues despite the organization’s public plans to build on the Chicago lakefront next to Soldier Field.

While it seemed like Arlington Heights, the 326-acre property the organization purchased last year, was out of the running due to property tax issues, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

According to CHGO’s Mark Carman, the Bears have made “progress” with Arlington Heights and the school district board in regards to getting a stadium deal in place.

Source: The Bears have made progress in their discussions with Arlington Heights and the school district board for their stadium deal. The belief is that Kevin Warren’s timeline to get a deal done remains aggressive.

Carman provided an update regarding the team finding a resolution with property taxes and Arlington Heights officials are still optimistic that the Bears will choose to build there — although the organization remains publicly committed to building on the lakefront.

Update: Bears continue to work towards a resolution regarding property taxes with school board and Arlington Heights on the land they own. AH remains hopeful Bears will build their new stadium there. The Bears maintain their stadium focus remains on the museum campus in Chicago.

“I’m confident at the correct time that we will come together to figure out a stadium solution,” president/CEO Kevin Warren said, via NBC Sports Chicago, earlier this month.

While the public goal remains to find a resolution in building a new stadium on the Chicago lakefront, Arlington Heights could very well be an answer.

LOOK: Renderings for Bears’ proposed new lakefront stadium in Chicago

Take a look at the renderings for the Bears’ proposed new stadium on the Chicago lakefront.

The Chicago Bears unveiled plans for a domed lakefront stadium Wednesday during a presentation at Soldier Field.

It is a $4.6 billion project, according to the Sun-Times. On top of $2 billion from the team, additional stadium funds would come via NFL loan request ($300 million) and an Illinois Sports Facilities Authority bond request ($900 million), which brings it to a total of $3.225 billion. The rest would contribute to infrastructure. The organization said it would be 72% funded by them and the NFL.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the building of a new Bears stadium will “result in no new taxes on the residents of Chicago.”

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“This is not an easy project, but Chicago doesn’t like it easy,” said Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren. “We like to do the difficult things … the things that resonate with people for generations to come.”

The project would require approval from the state, however, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has expressed skepticism that a stadium project should involve taxpayer dollars.

The Bears shared renderings depicting a stadium atop the current South Parking lot of Soldier Field. The renderings feature an all-glass roof, keeping the historic colonnades in place. Te design shares some similarities with Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas) and U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota).

Here are the renderings, along with a video, via ChicagoBears.com.

Bears president Kevin Warren says intention is to build new stadium on lakefront

Bears president Kevin Warren spoke at the owners meetings on Tuesday and says he intents to break ground on a new stadium on the lakefront.

The Chicago Bears’ stadium saga continues to roll on, with little action taking place. The team is at an impasse with Arlington Heights and the 326-acre property they purchased over a year ago, and reports came out two weeks ago that indicate they have their sights set on a new stadium near Soldier Field.

On Tuesday, president Kevin Warren confirmed that the team intends to build a new stadium on the lakefront.

Warren met with reporters during the 2024 NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, and was asked by CHGO’s Adam Hoge whether the Bears intended to build a new stadium in Chicago if everything came together. Warren didn’t mince words.

“The plan would be to put a shovel in the ground on the lakefront,” he said.

Ever since he was hired as team president and CEO, Warren has expressed his affinity for the city of Chicago. Last August, in an interview with Peter King, Warren talked about the possible options for a stadium location and couldn’t stop gushing about Chicago and its lakefront.

“God really kissed downtown Chicago with that lakefront,” Warren said via NBC Sports Chicago. “I don’t think there’s any place in the country that has that beauty of a city right upon a beautiful lake in Lake Michigan.”

The vision for a new stadium just south of Soldier Field comes after the difficulties the Bears have had with the Arlington Park property. Disagreements surrounding the proposed tax assessments have stalled progress, and even after the village recently proposed a fair compromise that would lower the current tax rate, the Bears are making their intentions clear.

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Arlington Heights proposes tax cut for potential Bears stadium

Don’t look now, but the Bears to Arlington Heights stadium isn’t dead yet.

Don’t look now, but Arlington Heights has put themselves back in the race for a new Chicago Bears stadium site.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Arlington Heights is proposing a tax cut compromise for a potential new domed stadium at the former Arlington International Racecourse, which was purchased by the Bears last February.

Arlington Heights proposed an agreement to accept the Cook County Board of Review’s assessed value of $124.7 million for the 2023 and 2024 tax years. This is in response to the disagreement between the Bears and local school districts involving the property tax bill.

Here are additional details from the Chicago Tribune about the tax breakdown:

The property would be assessed at the 25% commercial rate for half of 2023 and the 10% vacant property rate for the other half, resulting in a total tax liability of $6.3 million, according to Arlington Heights’ Feb. 27 proposal, which the village released publicly late Monday after an open records request by the Tribune.

For the 2024 tax year, the property would be assessed at the 10% rate, resulting in a tax bill of $3.6 million, according to the proposal. Both figures would be a big cut from taxes currently estimated to be near $10 million.

This move comes shortly after the Bears shifted their focus to building a new stadium on the Chicago lakefront just south of Soldier Field — where the organization announced they would commit $2 billion toward the stadium. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears remain interested in the Arlington Heights property, but their main focus remains the lakefront.

Could this have been a power play by Warren to use leverage for a secondary stadium site to get the original site he wanted all along? Or does Warren really have his sights set on a lakefront stadium? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Bears prepared to provide $2 billion in private funding for new lakefront stadium to replace Soldier Field

The Chicago Bears are closer to staying in the city than ever before.

The Chicago Bears are closer to staying in the city than ever before.

According to the Chicago Tribune’s Robert McCoppin, the Bears are preparing to provide $2 billion in private funding for a new publicly owned enclosed stadium on the lakefront that would replace Soldier Field.

This lakefront site, which would be in the area of Waldron Drive (just south of Soldier Field), would replace the current stadium while also increasing open space on the museum campus by 20 percent. It would give the Bears an idea location to host the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four and other big events.

While this new state-of-the-art stadium would replace Soldier Field, the project would include saving the Soldier Field colonnade in honor of veterans.

“The future stadium of the Chicago Bears will bring a transformative opportunity to our region — boosting the economy, creating jobs, facilitating mega events and generating millions in tax revenue,” Bears president Kevin Warren said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing more information when our plans are finalized.”

Just over a year ago, the Bears purchased the Arlington International Racecourse site with plans to build a new state-of-the-art stadium. But disagreement on increased property taxes have stalled matters, and the focus has shifted to a new stadium on the Chicago lakefront.

Roger Goodell believes Bears could host Super Bowl with new domed stadium

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes a domed stadium would provide an opportunity for the Bears to host a future Super Bowl.

The Chicago Bears’ new stadium remains a work in progress, but a recent update indicates the organization has shifted its focus to the Chicago lakefront.

During Super Bowl Opening Night, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the importance of a new stadium.

“I think it’s important to the Chicago Bears, their fans, and I also think it’s important to that community,” Goodell said, via WGN.

According to Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business, the Bears are re-focusing on the lakefront in Chicago as the location to construct their new stadium instead of Arlington Heights.

The Bears would build a state-of-the-art domed stadium on the Soldier Field south lot with the goal of hosting Super Bowls, Final Fours and other events, which was the plan in Arlington Heights, as well.

Goodell believes a domed stadium would provide an opportunity for Chicago to host a Super Bowl, among other events, in the future.

“As we’ve seen here (in Las Vegas), a great stadium can host additional events. I think that’s true in Chicago,” Goodell said. “I think the domed stadium that their talking about, both in downtown and potentially in Arlington Heights, I think those are both great opportunities I think they need to explore.”

While the Chicago lakefront is the new focus, the organization is still far off from finalizing any stadium plans.

“The good news is that they have quite a bit of time on their lease and the Bears are committed to being in Chicagoland,” Goodell said. “I think they’ll be able to develop a proposal good for the fans, but I also think it will be great for Chicago.”

Report: Bears’ focus for new stadium shifts to Chicago lakefront

According to a new report, the Bears are focused on staying in Chicago with their new stadium.

There’s been a significant update in regards to the Chicago Bears’ plans for a new stadium.

While the expectation was the Bears would build a new stadium at the 326-acre property in suburban Arlington Heights they purchased, the organization has pivoted in a new direction.

According to Greg Hinz of Crain’s Chicago Business, the Bears are re-focusing on the lakefront in Chicago as the location to construct their new stadium.

The Bears would build a state-of-the-art domed stadium on the Soldier Field south lot with the goal of hosting Super Bowls, Final Fours and other events, which was the plan in Arlington Heights, as well.

Bears president/CEO Kevin Warren recently praised downtown Chicago as a potential site for a new stadium.

“What intrigues me about downtown is I strongly believe Chicago is the finest city in all of the world,” Warren said at the team’s end-of-year press conference in January. “Very rarely do you get the opportunity to have such a beautiful downtown with a vibrant business community, with an absolutely beautiful lake and the energy that goes along. I always focus on, what’s a way that we could bring together the beauty of the lake, the beauty of downtown, the business community, all the art exhibits, to bring that together for an environment — because it’s always about the fans. How can we create an environment that they really enjoy?

“I live downtown. I love the city. And I just think we’re blessed to be able to live in a city like Chicago. It has many pluses. I’m a big proponent of the Chicagoland area. I’m a big proponent of Arlington Heights, but there’s something that’s really special about downtown Chicago.”

While Arlington Heights was once the focal point, there have been disagreements over property taxes that opened the door to the Bears exploring other locations.

Bears still determining if Arlington Heights is ‘viable option’ for new stadium

Kevin Warren said the Bears are still working to find a legitimate partner when it comes to their new stadium.

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It’s been an eventful few months when it comes to the Chicago Bears’ stadium development. While Arlington Heights was believed to be the odds on favorite for the new stadium, there have been some obstacles, most notably tax issues, and the team made it known that it was no longer the singular focus.

Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren appeared at an invitation-only meeting at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights on Monday night, where he discussed the latest with stadium plans. While Arlington Heights could very well be the new site of the stadium, it doesn’t sound like things are close to resolved.

“We do need a new home for the Chicago Bears,” Warren said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “We have to figure out if Arlington Heights is legitimately a viable option or is it not. This has nothing to do with personal feelings. This is strictly business. And I just want to make sure that we’re all on the same page and figure out if this is something that will work.”

The Bears have started demolition on the Arlington International Racecourse, but they’re reiterated that doesn’t mean a stadium will be built. If Warren’s comments are any indication, any resolution still feels a long way away. But Warren assured everyone they’re doing their due diligence when it comes to finding the best partner.

“This is not about the Chicago Bears trying to come in and take advantage of everyone,” Warren said. “It’s the opposite. It’s about the Chicago Bears finding a partner.”

“Once we have a legitimate partner, we will move forward,” Warren added. “If that’s in Arlington Heights, great. If it’s somewhere else, that’s great too.”

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Bears begin exterior demolition on Arlington Heights property

The Bears started the second phase of demolition on the Arlington International Racecourse on Friday.

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The Chicago Bears have started the second phase of demolition, this time exterior focused, at Arlington International Racecourse on Friday.

The organization bought the Arlington Heights property for $197.3 million back in February with the intent on building a new state-of-the-art stadium and entertainment district. But they’ve been unhappy with the expense of its property tax assessment.

With that, the Bears announced that Arlington Heights was no longer the sole focus of their stadium efforts. Since then, they’ve also met with Naperville city officials about a potential stadium, and the city of Waukegan has expressed interest in building a stadium.

While Arlington Heights is still in play to be the site of the new stadium, the team release did note that the demolition doesn’t mean the property will be developed.

Here’s a glimpse at the demolition under way at Arlington Heights:

The Bears started interior demolition on the property on May 30, and the entire demolition is expected to be completed by the end of the summer, per the Sun-Times. Demolition of the grandstands is expected to take about two weeks.

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