Rolling Meadows, Illinois to study impact of potential Chicago Bears stadium in neighboring Arlington Heights
Leaders in the northwest Chicago suburb of Rolling Meadows want to know how their municipality could be impacted if the Chicago Bears build a new stadium in neighboring Arlington Heights.
At a meeting Tuesday night, the Rolling Meadows City Council approved the hiring of a team of consultants. They will research everything from traffic to construction and sound when it comes to a new stadium.
But Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica emphasized the excitement at the prospect of the Bears' possible move too.
"We are on the cusp of achieving a dream that has captured Chicago's northwest suburban imagination since George S. Halas first proposed moving the Bears to Arlington Park 50 years ago," Sanoica said.
Indeed, talk of moving the Bears to Arlington Heights is not actually new at all. The Bears moved to Soldier Field in 1971 after half a century of sharing Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs, and the team website notes that Bears management toured Arlington Park racetrack even back then — only to find it of insufficient spectator capacity.
When the Bears arrived at Soldier Field, they initially signed on for a three-year commitment. By 1975, a move to Arlington Heights was being floated again.
As quoted by the Daily Herald, Bears owner George S. "Papa Bear" Halas told the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, "I hope and pray that 1977 will find the Bears contending for a title in a new stadium in Arlington Heights."
The more recent narrative involving the Bears going to Arlington Heights dates back only to 2021, when they made a bid to buy the old 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse.
While they closed that $197 million deal in 2023, and later demolished the racetrack's grandstand and other buildings, plans to build a stadium there were delayed amid a dispute over property taxes.
The Bears later pivoted to plans for a domed stadium on the Chicago lakefront, unveiling a $4.7 billion proposal that would have relied on $2.4 billion in public funding. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has called that plan a "nonstarter," and said public funding for a Bears stadium would not be a good deal for taxpayers.
With talks about that proposed lakefront stadium having stalled, the Bears have now shifted their focus back to the old Arlington International Racecourse site.
Rolling Meadows borders the property on three sides.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
34 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump administration activates 700 Marines in Los Angeles area amid ICE protests
The military has activated about 700 active-duty Marines who could be sent to Los Angeles, joining National Guard troops who were sent to the city to respond to protests, U.S. Northern Command said in a statement. Members of the Marine Corps could start arriving in the Los Angeles area as soon as Tuesday, a defense official told CBS News. The Marines are based in Twentynine Palms, a city east of Los Angeles. Northern Command said the Marines will "seamlessly integrate" with hundreds of members of the National Guard to protect "federal personnel and federal property." They have been trained in "de-escalation, crowd control and standing rules for the use of force," the military added. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also said Monday that around 700 Marines "are being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order." Northern Command said the Marines who were activated are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, an infantry unit based in Twentynine Palms, California, east of Los Angeles. Hegseth said the Marines are being deployed from a different base — Camp Pendleton, south of Los Angeles. When asked earlier Monday about the possibility of sending in Marines, President Trump said, "We'll see what happens." Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDowell said in a statement that the agency has decades of experience managing large-scale public demonstration and can handle the protests. "The arrival of federal military forces in Los Angeles — absent clear coordination — presents a significant logistical and operational challenge for those of us charged with safeguarding this city," he said in response to the possible deployment of Marines, adding that there needs to be open communication between all agencies to prevent confusion and avoid escalation. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office said on X earlier Monday that it does not believe the Marines have been deployed yet, writing: "From our understanding, this is moving Marines from one base to another base." Newsom suggested late Monday he could take legal action over the planned use of Marines, calling it illegal: "It's a blatant abuse of power. We will sue to stop this," he wrote on X. Mr. Trump deployed National Guard troops to downtown Los Angeles over the weekend to respond to tense protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. The Trump administration argues the deployment is necessary to protect federal property and ICE agents from violence. Mr. Trump has accused local leaders of not doing enough to deal with violent clashes at the protests. Newsom opposed the deployment, and the state of California is suing the Trump administration over what it argues is an illegal federalization of the National Guard. Some local officials have argued the deployment could aggravate an already caustic situation in downtown Los Angeles, and say state and local police agencies can handle the protests themselves. "We didn't have a problem until Trump got involved," Newsom posted on X Monday.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
L.A. Protests Enter 4th Night - CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip - Podcast on CNN Audio
L.A. Protests Enter 4th Night CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip 61 mins A fourth night of protests is unfolding right now in Los Angeles as President Trump deploys the United States military on American soil. It is an extraordinary show of his executive power, triggered by days of unrest over his administration's immigration raids.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
White House Pitches Texas GOP on US House Redistricting Gambit
Members of Texas' Republican congressional delegation met on Monday to discuss the prospect of redistricting to try and tilt the state further in the GOP's favor before the 2026 midterm elections. The lawmakers left the meeting not enthused about the prospect, according to a person familiar with their thinking. The New York Times reported earlier that the White House's political team had encouraged the delegation to consider such a measure.
