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 The Chicago Bears are closer to playing at
Arlington Heights, but are still likely years away from building a football
stadium there.
The Arlington Heights Village Board unanimously approved a pre-development
agreement for the Bears to redevelop Arlington Racetrack into a $5 billion
mixed-use district with a stadium, hotels, offices, restaurants and more.
The agreement would use village funds to partially pay for infrastructure, but
trustees said final approval would only come with proof they’d recoup costs over
time.
It marks the first official vote from the village on moving forward with the
redevelopment, but the agreement is not legally binding.
Trustee John Scaletta said he was concerned about foot traffic because the plan
is built around the Arlington Park train station.
“There’s way too much going on, like 10 pounds of sugar in a 5-pound bag,”
Scaletta said.
A transit-oriented plan also raised concerns the downtown district would suffer
by competing with new businesses at the 326-acre property.
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Village Manager Randy Racklaus said the next steps depend on the Bears making a
final decision on purchasing the former horse racetrack.
“The ball is now in the Chicago Bears’ court at this point and much of the
upcoming schedule will depend on when the Bears make a purchasing decision and
how quickly they wish to move to develop the property if they purchase it,”
Racklaus said.
The Bears entered a $197 million purchase agreement in September 2021, but they
must finalize the agreement before they officially own the land.
Chicagoans still must pay $415 million for past renovations made in 2002 to
Solider Field. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has pitched another round of renovations
that would cost each city taxpayer anywhere from $833 to $2,036, depending on
which plan was chosen, as a way to keep the football team from moving out of
Chicago.
There’s been no indication of whether the Bears are interested in Lightfoot’s
plan.
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