Arlington Heights renews push for new Bears stadium, want lawmakers to pass a "mega project bill"
There is a new push in northwest suburban Arlington Heights to keep the Chicago Bears in the state and get their new stadium built on the property they purchased in 2023.
The mayor, state leaders and local officials are now calling on Illinois lawmakers to approve a "mega project bill" that would support large-scale developments, like the Bears' development at the former Arlington Park Racetrack.
The law would create clearer predictions for future property taxes on these ajor developments.
"We all know when we have our own homes that you're going to be taxed a certain percentage," said Mayor Jim Tinaglia. "Right now, the Bears don't know what that is, and it's a little bit of a scary number."
The Bears have been oscillating between several possible sites for future stadiums, pressing Chicago politicians for a new domed home on the lakefront that would have cost $4.7 billion including $2.4 billion in public funding; purchasing the former Arlington Park property in Arlington Heights for $197 million; and even sending a letter to season ticket holders asking what they think about a move to Northwest Indiana.
Illinois lawmakers, including Gov. JB Pritzker, have staunchly opposed using taxpayer dollars to help fund a new NFL stadium in Illinois.
Pritzker called the lakefront Bears stadium proposal a "nonstarter," and said public funding for a stadium would be bad for taxpayers. Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel "Chris" Welch agreed, saying on Jan. 7 that lawmakers were focused on affordability during their spring session, not a football stadium.
"I don't know anyone that has knocked on a door and [had] someone say anything about the Chicago Bears," Welch said, "and we have to stay focused on the things that people care about right now."
Bears President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Warren has said in Arlington Heights, the team is not asking for state taxpayer dollars but instead are looking for a commitment to local infrastructure like roads, utilities and site improvements, and reasonable property tax certainty.
In September, the Bears told season ticket holders in a letter they hoped to break ground on a new domed stadium in Arlington Heights soon so they could bid to host a Super Bowl as early as 2031. They also said in that letter, officially, that their future seats would not be in the city of Chicago.
Meanwhile, on Thursday the state of Indiana passed legislation establishing a "stadium authority" to explore options for construction on a new NFL stadium. Wednesday, Gov. Mike Braun made his pitch for the Bears to move to the Hoosier state.