Chicago Bears pivot new stadium plans back to Arlington Heights
It's not a done deal, but the Chicago Bears have shifted their focus for a new stadium back to the massive Arlington Heights property they purchased in 2023, backing away from a controversial proposal for a new lakefront stadium in Chicago.
"Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality," the Bears said in a statement on Friday.
The decision is a political setback for Mayor Brandon Johnson, who has been outspoken in his support for the Bears' pitch for a domed lakefront stadium that would have required significant public funding.
However, Gov. JB Pritzker and state lawmakers have not been willing to support any state financing for a new Bears stadium in Chicago.
Johnson blamed the team's decision to pivot back to Arlington Heights on the lack of support for state funding for the Bears' lakefront stadium plan.
"There's no person in this city or this state that has worked as hard to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago. They need some support from the state. I don't control the state. You know, the hope is that, of course, that they stay here," Johnson said Friday at an unrelated event.
The Bears have been publicly weighing a potential move to Arlington Heights since 2021, when they made a bid to buy the old 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse.
While they closed that $197 million deal in 2023, and later demolished the racetrack's grandstand and other buildings, plans to build a stadium there were delayed amid a dispute over property taxes.
The Bears later pivoted to plans for a domed stadium on the Chicago lakefront, unveiling a $4.7 billion proposal that would have relied on $2.4 billion in public funding.
Pritzker has called that plan a "nonstarter," and said public funding for a Bears stadium would not be a good deal for taxpayers. On Friday, the governor's office said it stands behind his past statements about not using public funds for a stadium.
Meantime, late last year, the Bears and the Village of Arlington Heights reached a deal over property taxes, saving the Bears approximately $5 million a year in taxes.
The agreement sets 2027 as a deadline for the team to commit to building a new stadium before tax increases take effect. The deal also sets the annual tax on the Arlington Heights site at about $3.6 million, down from almost $9 million for the 2023 tax year.
If the team moves forward with building a new stadium by the deadline, payments will stay the same. If not, they will increase between 2% and 5% starting in 2028.
On Friday, newly elected Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia, who has said he supports a new Bears stadium in the suburb, released a statement saying, "I have always believed that the former Arlington Park site is the best location for a new NFL stadium centered development for the entire Chicagoland region."
"While much work remains to ensure that the community's and the team's goals can be met, we all agree that the discussions are headed in the right direction and we are optimistic for the future of this partnership," he added.
Sports marketing expert Marc Ganis said the Bears' latest statement makes it all but certain the team will be leaving Chicago for the suburbs.
"This is really happening. This is not part of the negotiating process," Ganis said.
Ganis said the passage of time helped Arlington Heights win the battle for a new Bears stadium.
"This is where, clearly, where the Bears intended to go – Arlington Heights. That's why they bought the land when they did. This was a site the McCaskey family has had in mind for a very, very long time," he said. "The problem that occurred was really by the creation of some Arlington Heights taxing authorities. They put a speed bump in a project that could very well have been under construction by now."
While full details of a new Bears stadium still have to be worked out, it's possible they could be playing in Arlington Heights within three or four years.
