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MUSEUM CAMPUS – The Chicago Bears will unveil plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights on September 8, as they continue to take steps to get them out of Solider Field and into their home.
The team announced Thursday afternoon that it will present concept plans for the Arlington Heights Stadium at a September 8 meeting at John Hersey High School in the northwestern suburbs, according to multiple reports.
In a statement, team officials said their “transit-oriented mixed-use entertainment district” will be “one of the largest developments in Illinois history.” According to The Sun Times.
The announcement is the latest twist in the ongoing stadium drama between the Bears and the city of Chicago — a saga dating back to the ’70s, when the team first threatened to leave Soldier Field for Arlington Heights.
The city and the Bears rebuilt Soldier Field in 2002, but it remains the smallest capacity stadium in the NFL. The Bears are tenants in the Chicago Park District, which means they pay rent and split many revenue streams.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot try to convince the team to stay With a proposal to build a dome over the stadium, which many see as a Hail Mary, there is little chance of keeping the team within city limits.
The Bears’ latest dance with Arlington Heights has been going on for several years, including an announcement in June 2021 that they would be bidding for the sprawling 326-acre venue that houses the now-closed Arlington Park Racetrack. September, the Team announcement It has signed a purchase agreement – but the deal has dragged on for nearly a year without closing.
Churchill Downs put the historic track and surrounding properties for sale in February 2021 before closing its racing operations at the end of last season. Rebuilt after a fire in 1985, the track has long been considered one of the premier racetracks in the country.
When the Bears first announced they would enter the bid, Lightfoot dismissed it as “clearly a negotiating tactic the Bears have used before.” She put it lightly: “Like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, ultimately beating the Packers, and staying relevant in October. Everything else is just noise. “
The Bears’ lease on Soldier Field, the NFL’s smallest stadium with 61,500 seats, expires in 2033. The Bears pay the rent for Soldier Field to the Chicago Park District, split the revenue and have little prospect of expansion. The move to a new site is expected to mean a potentially multi-billion-dollar Bears-owned complex that will create a slew of new revenue streams for the team. No details were disclosed on how Bears will fund the project.
The Bears moved into Soldier Field, owned by the Chicago Park District, in 1971, but threatened to move to Arlington Heights a few years later. Then-Mayor Richard J. Daly threatened to sue if they moved to stop them from calling themselves the Chicago Bears. His son, Mayor Richard M. Daly, also had years of tense negotiations with the team, who threatened to move to Gary, Indiana, in 1995.
The Bears have a lease at Soldier Field through 2033, but could break the lease in 2026 by paying the city $84 million in fines. The Tribune reported. This price tag will come down in the next few years.
It’s not unprecedented for a big-city team to choose more space in the suburbs. Decades ago, the New York Giants and New York Jets left the city for New Jersey. The San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and Washington football teams also play outside their named cities.
Lightfoot created a council of civic leaders to come up with a new version of Soldier Field and the surrounding museum campus, hoping to keep the Bears in town — or have a backup plan if they run.
In late July, she unveiled plans to build a dome on Soldiers Field — a $2.2 billion dome proposal, one of three options to improve the stadium — as part of a grand plan. Overhaul Lakeside Museum ParkOther options would make the stadium “dome” ready for future construction, or, if the Bears head to the suburbs, modernize it without the dome to make the stadium better suited to the Chicago Fire.
She said at the time that “discussions are ongoing” with the Bears and the NFL — and she believes the team will take the dome proposal seriously.
“It would be foolish not to,” the mayor said.
Lightfoot doesn’t rule out trying to lure another NFL team to Chicago if they leave town. When asked if the city would build a dome for another team, Lightfoot smiled and said, “I think that’s an option, yes. A lot of cities have two NFL teams. “
If the dome is built, it will undergo extensive modernization of the facility, enclosing the site and making it available year-round. The dome will sit on four “super columns” built around the existing structure, allowing it to control the climate.
Credit: city ​​of chicagoThe dome project will boost capacity to 70,000 from the current NFL low of 61,500. It will add seven additional suites for a total of 140, six new clubs and quadruple the space for food and beverage sales.
“The revamped Soldier Field will provide a world-class visitor experience,” Lightfoot said. “Furthermore, any of these proposed renovations will allow Soldier Field to maintain its role as Chicago’s economic engine for years to come, as these changes will allow us to continue to bring sports, music and other exciting events to our city. .”
The dome project was designed by Robert Dunn, who is known for developing stadiums for NFL teams such as the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. He’s also president of Landmark Development, which backs the potentially $20 billion One Central development that proposes soaring over train tracks west of Soldier Field.
Dunn said the dome project would be a much cheaper option for the Bears than packing up and heading to Arlington Heights.
Lightfoot has maintained that she will “do anything” to keep the Bears in Chicago, after previously saying Chicago would make “a very compelling economic case” for the team to stay at Soldier Field.
Lightfoot and her deputies did not elaborate on how they plan to finance the dome, but did say it could involve NFL financing, naming rights revenue and debt. “Of course” there will be taxpayer money involved, Lightfoot said.
Credit: city ​​of chicago
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