|
“Moving outside of the city of Chicago is not a
decision we reached easily,” Warren said. “This project does not
represent us leaving, it represents us expanding. The Bears draw
fans from all over Illinois, and over 50 percent of our
season-ticket holders live within 25 miles of the Arlington
Heights site.”
The Bears sent the letter hours before their season opener
against the Minnesota Vikings.
Warren made it clear the team is committed to building a
stadium, saying “this is the year” to finalize plans so the team
could bid to host a Super Bowl “as soon as 2031.” He said the
stadium would “require zero state money for construction," but
the team would need the legislature to pass a bill in October to
start construction this year.
That bill would freeze property taxes for large-scale
construction projects like the stadium. Warren maintains the
bill could create 56,000 jobs during construction and 9,000
permanent jobs.
The Bears' focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract
of land they own in Arlington Heights to the city, and then back
to the suburb.
In September 2022, they unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for
Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and
more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30
miles from Soldier Field. Their focus moved toward building a
new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as
president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips.
The plan to transform Chicago's Museum Campus got an
enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid
reception from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislators
when it was announced in April 2024.
Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention
back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with
local leaders.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned
their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to
1970 or Soldier Field since then.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
