All articles tagged with #hammond
Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey says the team is moving forward with an Indiana stadium, naming the Lost Marsh Golf Course in Hammond as a viable site and evaluating a second option at the Wolf Lake terminal, a slow and deliberate process that continues amid Illinois discussions, while Soldier Field remains the team’s home for now.
The Chicago Bears announced they are advancing plans for a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, evaluating two sites near Wolf Lake for a stadium and surrounding mixed-use development, while maintaining communications with Indiana lawmakers and facing stalled talks on Illinois incentives.
The Bears are prioritizing a domed stadium project in northwest Indiana, with due diligence on a Hammond site (Wolf Lake Terminals) and officials promising more updates soon. Illinois progress stalled after a failed PILOT bill, and there’s no movement yet on Arlington Heights, while Indiana incentives—up to $1 billion—keep the push alive and Gov. Braun remains confident the deal will close.
Environmental and permitting records suggest the Bears’ Hammond stadium sites may offer less buildable space than initially thought due to a US Army Corps 50-year easement on two lake basins that could shrink the footprint to the Lost Marsh golf course; officials say there is still room for a stadium and the team is considering sites along Wolf Lake, but no final plans or IDEM permit applications have been filed yet.
After a week of stalled incentives for a Bears stadium in Illinois, the team signaled a focus on Hammond, Indiana, leaving Illinois leaders frustrated but hopeful for a deal; Bears president Kevin Warren said discussions would continue, while Indiana advances incentives that could lure the team away, signaling momentum shifting to Indiana amid ongoing negotiations and political fault lines.
The Chicago Bears announced they will move forward with their Hammond stadium plans, signaling urgency for Illinois lawmakers to act quickly; with Arlington Heights still a live option, the window to seal a deal is narrowing.
Brad Biggs breaks down reader questions on the Chicago Bears’ stadium situation, including whether Indiana (notably the Hammond area) could be the next home for the team, and why a move hasn’t been finalized yet as proposals in Illinois and Indiana continue to evolve.
Illinois lawmakers adjourned without passing the Municipal Stadium Authority Act, stalling the Bears’ plan to build a new stadium in Illinois; with Arlington Heights and Hammond as Illinois options and Indiana still in contention, the team will reassess its path, hoping for clarity after a fall veto session, while Soldier Field’s 2033 lease provides no immediate pressure to move.
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.
Chicago remains determined to keep the Bears, with the team narrowing its stadium options to Arlington Heights, IL and Hammond, IN amid political pushback in Illinois and a looming May 31 deadline; lawmakers debate a potential lakefront site while Chicago leadership and state officials negotiate the team’s future.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the Bears will choose between two viable indoor stadium sites—Arlington Heights, Illinois, or Hammond, Indiana—putting Chicago’s long-time home in jeopardy and signaling a near-term decision.
Governor JB Pritzker pressed for a fast-track deal on the Chicago Bears’ stadium as the team updated the NFL on two viable sites—Arlington Heights, IL and Hammond, IN—deeming them the only viable options and signaling a quick path forward with a Stadium Committee meeting planned within two weeks; the Illinois megaprojects bill could form the framework of an agreement but faces tax-relief and amusement-tax provisions and Senate changes as Indiana has already moved forward on its own Bears project, with the Bears expected to decide by late spring or early summer.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun signed Senate Bill 27 to establish the financial framework for a Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, including roughly $1 billion in state-bond financing repaid by revenues from Hammond’s 12% admissions tax and a stadium development district, plus proposed local taxes and a renegotiated toll-road lease. The Bears would invest over $2 billion; Illinois lawmakers are weighing incentives to keep the team, but no deal yet as competing measures and local concerns unfold.
An opinion piece argues the Bears may relocate from Soldier Field to Hammond, Indiana, aided by a state stadium authority and private funding, finding a cheaper, controllable home and potentially revitalizing a Rust Belt area; Arlington Heights plans are costlier and stalled by public financing and political wrangling, and while Illinois officials resist, the article suggests the move could keep the team connected to Chicago's metro even from across the state line.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says the Chicago Bears’ public suggestion they might relocate to Indiana wasn’t a confirmed move, noting privately the team signaled no final decision; Indiana has pushed SB 27 to create a stadium authority capable of financing up to $2 billion for a new Bears stadium near Hammond, prompting Bears to say they’ll continue due diligence and clarify their intentions.