Bears' Push For Stadium Funding On Hold Until November

Forbes

4 days ago

Audience members listen as representatives from the Chicago Bears present their concept for building ... More a stadium and entertainment district on the site of Arlington International Racecourse during an informational public meeting at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, on Sept. 8, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
For the second session in a row, the Illinois legislature adjourned without bringing the Bears' request for stadium funding to the floor for consideration.
After spending some of 2023 and most of '24 seeking help in constructing a state-of-the-art facility on the banks of Lake Michigan, adjacent to Soldier Field, the Bears shifted their focus to land they own in Arlington Heights, in Chicago's northwest suburbs.
The 326-acre site had been home to the Arlington (Park) Racecourse, which for years hosted the Arlington Million race. It appears in many ways an ideal location for a retractable roof stadium capable of hosting Super Bowls and non-football events like the Final Four. But the team's first choice was to stay in the city, with mayor Brandon Johnson and other Chicago politicians trying to put together public financing to help the team on the project.
Continuing opposition led to a recent pivot to Arlington Heights in the winter. Team president Kevin Warren confirmed that to reporters during the NFL meetings in May.
The franchise, which recently was formally transferred from the late Virginia McCaskey to son George McCaskey and her other heirs, has said it will build the $2 billion stadium with its money and a grant from the NFL but is seeking about $2.4 billion in public funding for both new debt and upgrades to infrastructure (mainly roads and the nearby Metra train station, a vital link to bring fans from downtown).
Warren has said he believes the issue can be addressed in time for construction to begin before the end of 2025. But the public shift in preference from a downtown stadium to one in the suburbs apparently happened too late for the measure to even be formally debated by the legislature.
'I don't know who works with the Bears on their timing, but I would say they've mastered the art of bad timing,' state Sen. Robert Peters told the Chicago Tribune in May. 'I wish they could master the art of having a good team instead of doing this.'
The spring session ended on Sunday, after approving a $55.2 billion budget submitted by Gov. JB Pritzker. State legislators will return to Springfield, Ill., in the fall.
'We were super close and just ran out of time,' Rep. Mary Beth Canty, who represents Arlington Heights, told the Tribune. 'We're going to keep working all through the summer.'
Pritzker has said his preference is for the team to remain downtown but has publicly remained opposed to state funding. The size of the state's budget has grown by about 38 percent since he took office without any new construction on sports facilities.
Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is also seeking funding to build a new stadium. His effort to move the team to a location in the South Loop appears stalled.
One new element of the Bears' situation is how the Chicago faction in the legislature is openly working against the team's move to the suburbs.
'The Bears have made it clear — they no longer want to be in Chicago,' Rep. Kam Buckner told the Tribune. 'That's their decision. But if they want to leave and use state dollars or ask for special tax protections to do it, they'll have to come through Springfield. And in Springfield, that means facing the Chicago delegation directly.'
While no motions specifically addressing stadium funding were filed in the spring session, others involving taxing districts on so-called mega-projects, were introduced but did not come to a vote. The Bears successfully negotiated tax rates with village officials in Arlington Heights but are seeking assurances those rates won't be heavily adjusted in future years.
The Bears have played in Chicago since moving from Decatur, Ill., in the early 1920s. The team has never owned its stadium, playing mostly at Wrigley Field and Soldier Field. The lease on Soldier Field runs through 2033 but includes an agreement for the team to pay a penalty if it leaves earlier, with that fee decreasing annually until expiration.
The Bears agreed to purchase the Arlington Park horse track site from the Churchill Downs group in 2022 and closed on the $197.2-million deal in February, 2023. But the focused shifted back to downtown after Warren was hired away from his position as Big Ten commissioner later in '23. He orchestrated the Minnesota Vikings' downtown stadium project while working as their chief administrative (and later operating) officer in 2005-19.
The Bears' proposed downtown stadium came with an estimated cost of $3.2 billion when it was announced in April, 2024. The Bears offered to pay $2 billion, including an NFL grant, leaving public funding responsible for $1.2 million in construction costs in addition to infrastructure improvements.
Soldier Field was remodeled through public financing in 2002. The Illinois Sports Facility Authority still owes almost $600 million in principal and interest for that project.
The Illinois General Assembly's fall session typically occurs in November, with its primary charge being the consideration of the governor's vetoes of bills from the regular session. The Bears may seek to add a special session to consider stadium funding rather than waiting until the 2026 regular session convenes in January.
Bears' lobbyists, including a former Pritzker aide, have been quietly meeting with Prizker's staff and an outside advisor in recent months. The state hired Steve Argeris, a New York- and Washington, D.C.-based lawyer, as part of its due diligence on the stadium effort, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Argeris previously worked for the owners of the NFL's Carolina Panthers. His participation is a sign the state is gathering information and may be moving closer to formally considering funding measures.