McCaskey says Bears not seeking to increase taxes in Arlington Heights

[September 10, 2022]  (The Center Square) – The Chicago Bears hosted a community night in Arlington Park and shared ideas for a new stadium after their lease is up at Soldier Field and part of the goal is to avoid tax hikes, team officials said.

The night was hosted at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights. The Bears are hoping to build a new stadium in the northwest suburbs of Chicago on the 326-acre Arlington Park racetrack site. Arlington International Racecourse closed last year after hosting thoroughbred racing for 94 years.

Bears Chairman George McCaskey said he does not intend to raise taxes to fund the stadium.

"We are not asking for property taxes to be raised in Arlington Heights to fund the stadium construction," he said. "It is not our part to say that property taxes for Arlington Heights residents will not go up, but that might be for reasons that have nothing to do with this construction."

McCaskey also said the organization is still early in talks about a new stadium.

"I should also stress that we are at the very beginning of this process of seeing what could be possible here at Arlington Park," McCaskey said.

Bears CEO Ted Phillips, who recently announced he would be stepping down after the season, said any plans for a stadium would include a roof.

"It will be enclosed, and we expect the capacity to be larger than it is at Soldier Field," Phillips said. "So it will be enclosed, and we are not expecting a retractable dome. Often what we have seen with retractable domes is [that] the costs are prohibitive, the return is not there, there are mechanical issues."

The Bear's lease at Solider Field is up in 2030 but has a buyout option after 2026. The Bears said the stadium could take more than ten years to complete and would include restaurants, shopping, housing, a hotel, a fitness center, and new parks.

By Andrew Hensel | The Center Square