All articles tagged with #bears stadium
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker says he has spoken with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois, stressing that lawmakers should stay in discussions with both the Bears and the commissioner to achieve the best outcome. He notes the stadium talks involve Chicago, Arlington Heights, and potentially Indiana, but aims to pass a single taxpayer-protective bill in Illinois that keeps the Bears from moving.
Chicago Bears are weighing a move from Soldier Field with Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana as leading options; Hammond has received official backing for a stadium project, while Illinois lawmakers adjourned without advancing a key megaproject bill, prompting a decision by spring or summer on a 2030 opening. The plan contemplates about $3.2 billion in costs, with roughly $2 billion from private sources, about $900 million from the state and NFL support, financed through bonds repaid by a hotel-tax levy; Halas Hall will stay in Lake Forest. A relocation would reshape the region and draw scrutiny over taxes, traffic and community impact.
McCook, Illinois has pitched a publicly owned 80,000-seat domed Bears stadium on a 150-acre quarry site near 55th Street and East Avenue, with Vulcan Materials asking about $160 million; Bears would own the stadium and lease it to the village for $1 annually, tax-exempt, while Illinois lawmakers push other in-state options as Indiana looms.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the Chicago Bears have been in contact and that a special legislative session could be called if lawmakers can agree on a single bill to advance a Bears stadium plan, while the team pursues Indiana and pushes Illinois for a resolution after past missteps like a lack of location clarity and failing to be present on the session's final day.
Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia pressed Gov. JB Pritzker to take an active, coach-like role to unite state lawmakers and push a Bears stadium bill at Arlington Park, aiming to keep the team from moving to Indiana; with the Bears’ Indiana bid public and the Illinois legislature adjourning without a final deal, Tinaglia says talks with the team aren’t closed and remains hopeful a consensus could draw the project back home.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson repeated that the Bears are likely to stay in Chicago, with ongoing discussions with Springfield to advance a publicly owned stadium plan. The team has narrowed potential sites to Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, while Johnson says there is no plan for Hammond and that Chicago is further along than other locations in the process. Illinois lawmakers have not yet voted on the stadium proposal.
Illinois lawmakers passed a $55.9 billion budget but did not vote on a Bears stadium bill before adjourning. The Senate approved a modified plan to create a publicly owned stadium authority in Cook County to finance and lease a new Bears stadium, with the Bears financing construction, property-tax exemptions for the stadium, long-term bonds up to 40 years, and a STAR Bond District to spur development. The measure faces House inaction and opposition, while Indiana is courting the team with up to $1 billion in incentives; a special session remains uncertain.
Illinois lawmakers scrambled on the final day of the spring session to salvage a last-ditch plan aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois after Arlington Heights’ PILOT, or property-tax relief, collapsed, with talks shifting to a potential public-ownership/municipal stadium authority model, ongoing discussions about funding and tax protections, and lingering questions about whether any deal can pass both chambers before adjournment.
Illinois lawmakers unveiled a $55 billion budget funded by tax increases and revenue diversions as the session nears its year-end deadline, while Bears stadium talks stall amid Chicago opposition to Arlington Heights tax breaks and a push to keep the team in the city; negotiators are considering diverting higher-than-expected gas-tax revenue to transit and operating costs, pausing the July gas-tax increase, and pursuing additional revenue ideas (digital advertising tax, per-user tax, corporate-loss deduction cap) along with housing and data-center measures, with a 3.2% pay raise for lawmakers included in the draft budget.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport says a final decision on the Chicago Bears’ $5 billion stadium—between Arlington Heights, IL, and Hammond, IN—is expected in the coming weeks, wrapping up a three-year saga that has strained state and city politics as officials seek a resolution.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson makes a late bid to block the Bears’ move to the suburbs (and potentially Indiana), arguing against tax breaks for a billionaire NFL franchise. Despite the rhetoric, observers say the team’s relocation decision appears largely settled, making the mayor’s push more sabre-rattling than a real obstacle.
Illinois lawmakers could move the Bears’ stadium plan forward with a vote on a PILOT deal that would freeze property‑tax assessments at the Arlington Park site, potentially paving the way for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights (or a nearby location) while balancing Chicago interests around Soldier Field; a vote could come as soon as Wednesday, signaling progress toward a final decision, though many details remain unresolved.
Bears president Kevin Warren says the team’s stadium race has narrowed to two options—Arlington Heights in Illinois or a site in Northwest Indiana—with Indiana legislation already in place and a spring/summer timeframe for a final decision, while the 2026 season will still be played at Soldier Field and progress on the plan remains guarded.
A fiscal note for Senate Bill 27 shows Northwest Indiana could be taxed to fund a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, using bonds backed by new taxes (1% food-and-beverage in Lake and Porter counties, a Lake County hotel tax increase, and a Hammond admissions tax) plus potential toll-road lease proceeds; revenue estimates exist but total figures are uncertain as lawmakers mover toward a second reading.
Illinois lawmakers, Gov. Pritzker’s office, Arlington Heights officials and the Chicago Bears are nearing a deal to keep the team in Illinois by pursuing a stadium in Arlington Heights, potentially funded for infrastructure and aided by a “mega projects” framework to negotiate property taxes, while ensuring taxpayer protections and fan affordability; Indiana meanwhile has floated a competing stadium offer.