Many steps remain before Bears' Arlington Heights stadium plan can go ahead, suburb's mayor says
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- The Chicago Bears have been under contract to purchase the Arlington Park racetrack property for about a year.
CBS 2's Jackie Kostek spoke Thursday to the Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes - who said the reason we're seeing more momentum with the plan right now is because there is a stipulation in the contract that says the team would have to close the deal by early next year.
Right now, the Bears say there are still conditions that need to be met.
Mayor Hayes says those conditions have to do with making sure the property can be built in the way the Bears want it to be built - even from a structural standpoint. This includes whether the ground is hard enough that a heavy stadium can be built on it, and the water table underneath.
What the Bears envision has to be something that the Village of Arlington Heights would approve.
Hayes says the current plans for the development are all within building codes and do not violate any ordinances -- and the plans are something that they would potentially support.
If the plan goes through and the Bears decide to move forward, Hayes says it the plan would go through the normal approval process for any development that comes into the village. The Bears would submit formal plans and those would be reviewed by the various departments, and then it would begin a public hearing process.
The stadium plan would go through the Arlington Heights Plan Commission first, and then move to the Village Board.
Hayes says the public will have many opportunities to weigh in. He said with the deal not done yet, there is no timeline he can share.
"There's all kids of issues that still have to be addressed. We're still in the relatively early stages. The Bears haven't closed on the deal yet, as you know. There's a lot of stakeholders involved – whether it be the railroad, other municipalities that are adjacent to the property. We've got a lot of people that we have to talk to; other local governmental bodies," Hayes said. "And so there's a long way to go, but I think we can get it done."
Mayor Hayes says he has spoken to officials from both Santa Clara, California and Arlington, Texas -- where the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys have made similar city-to-suburban moves. Those conversations are ongoing, he says.
Mayor Hayes says if Arlington Heights does move forward with the new stadium, they want to do it right. They want it to be a win for the Bears and for the community.
Thus, they are trying to learn from what leaders in Santa Clara and Arlington did right - and even wrong - when they became the new homes for the 49ers and the Cowboys.
The 49ers' move was the most recent. The Santa Clara City Council approved the stadium package in 2009, construction on Levis Stadium began in 2012. The 49ers played their first game there in 2014.
Meanwhile, it is worth emphasizing that this is not a baseball stadium or a basketball arena where 60 to 80 games are played a year. The Bears would only play about eight days a year at the stadium.
Donlon asked Arlington Heights Mayor Hayes and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director John Ridler about that subject.
"We understand that there will be a cover to it. One form or another, it will be a year-round facility is our understanding," said Mayor Hayes. "So it'll be a lot more than just eight days."
Ridler said whatever the case, the stadium will be a game-changer for Arlington Heights if it goes ahead.
"It absolutely is, and it's going to be over many, many years – and I think we need to realize that too. It's not going to be done tomorrow. There's a lot of planning and financial issues that need to be set up," he said. "So it is going to be a game-changer for this region – you know, not just Arlington Heights, but Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Mount Prospect, and even Schaumburg around this area. The region is going to really benefit from this, and there's so many possibilities just a football game."
So what are the impacts? We have heard some loose numbers from the Bears saying it could be revenues of up to $1 billion year and thousands of jobs. But Ridler said any figures thrown about now are guesses – as it is so early in the process.
