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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
CHICAGO — The Bears are shifting their focus to remaining in the city of Chicago with plans to build a new stadium south of Soldier Field, a person familiar with the team's plans told ESPN.
The news comes nearly 13 months after the Bears closed the 326-acre property that housed Arlington International Race Course in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The team signed a deal to buy the land for $197.2 million in 2021, but has yet to begin development on the site, which was slated for a multibillion-dollar stadium project that would include restaurants, retail space and real estate. I haven't.
The Bears plan to invest more than $2 billion of private money into the publicly owned domed stadium and park space to provide year-round community facilities, officials said. The team has not released renderings of the proposed lakeside stadium, but one source said it would be located just south of Soldier Field's current site, with a parking lot on the south side. admitted that.
“The Chicago Bears are proud to contribute more than $2 billion to build a stadium and improve open space for all families, fans and the public to enjoy in the city of Chicago,” said Bears President and CEO. Kevin Warren said in a statement to ESPN. . “The Chicago Bears' future stadium will bring transformative opportunities to our region: revitalizing the economy, creating jobs, promoting large-scale events, and generating millions of dollars in tax revenue. We look forward to sharing more information once our plans are finalized.”
Soldier Field is currently the smallest stadium in the NFL, with a seating capacity of 61,500. The Bears' plan is to remain there until a new stadium is built, at which time the current site would be demolished except for the building's portico, officials said. Therefore, the plan is to construct a park and sports field for public use on the site.
The Bears' current contract at Soldier Field is scheduled to expire in 2033.
Officials said the stadium plan would give the museum campus (which includes Soldier Field and three prominent museums) 20% more space for the public to use year-round, not just during Bears home games. It is said that the number will increase.
A recent independent poll conducted by McGuire Research surveyed 500 registered voters in the city of Chicago on several topics related to the Bears' new stadium.
According to results obtained by ESPN, 80% of those polled supported a domed stadium that would host major year-round events on the museum's campus, while 77% suggested it because of efforts to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago. supported the location. They concluded that more than 6 in 10 Chicagoans support spending public money on public stadiums.
At a September 2022 community meeting where the team unveiled its plans for the Arlington Park site, president George McCaskey said the Bears “will not seek public funds for direct construction of the stadium structure,” but that billions of He said assistance is needed to complete the remaining construction on the dollar scale. project.
The public parts of the proposed Lakeside Stadium have not yet been revealed.
The Bears began considering options for a new stadium beyond Arlington Heights last summer when they announced their plans were “in jeopardy” after property tax negotiations reached a $100 million impasse.
“The original assessed value of the property was five times the 2021 tax amount, and in the recent settlement with Churchill Downs, [the property’s former owner] 3x in 2022, but does not reflect that the property is currently not operational or commercially viable,” the Bears said in a June 2023 statement.
The Bears have met with the mayors of Naperville and Chicago to consider alternative stadium sites, while Waukegan, a northern Illinois suburb, and Aurora, a suburb more than 40 miles west of Chicago, are also considering building stadiums there. proposed to the team.
After meeting last June, Warren and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a joint statement about their commitment to working on a plan to keep the Bears in Chicago. Since then, the two have met several times.
“Today, we met to discuss our shared values and commitment to the City of Chicago, the importance of deep roots, and the need for equitable community investment across the City,” the June 2023 statement reads. It's dark. “We are committed to the idea that the city and its key civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. I look forward to continuing the dialogue.”
If the Bears' plan to build a new lakefront stadium is successful, one official suggested the team would likely put its Arlington Park property up for sale.
