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Courtney Cronin
LAKE FOREST, Sick. — The Chicago Bears‘ plans for a brand new domed stadium have shifted once more.
The staff is now targeted on constructing a stadium in Arlington Heights, Illinois, the place the franchise owns the 326-acre property that beforehand housed the Arlington Worldwide Racecourse. This growth comes simply over a month after the Bears stated they had been exploring Arlington Heights and the Chicago lakefront south of the present web site of Soldier Subject as choices.
“Over the previous couple of months, we’ve made vital progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and sit up for persevering with to work with state and native leaders on making a transformative financial growth mission for the area a actuality,” the Bears stated in an announcement obtained by ESPN.
The Bears bought the land in Arlington Heights for $197.2 million in September 2021 however haven’t begun growing the location, which was anticipated to function a multibillion-dollar stadium mission and embrace eating places, retail house and actual property. The staff started exploring choices for a brand new stadium past Arlington Heights in the summertime of 2023 after they introduced that these plans had been “in danger” as negotiations over property taxes reached a $100 million deadlock.
Lat month, the village of Arlington Heights permitted a deal to open a proper evaluation of the Bears’ $5 billion plan to construct a stadium within the suburb.
Bears staff president and CEO Kevin Warren stated in April that the staff’s aim is to start development on a brand new stadium in 2025. Bears chairman George McCaskey stated that personal fairness “could also be utilized as a part of our stadium development financing plan” however that the staff has but to decide on that entrance.
“Sure, my aim nonetheless stays, to have the ability to transfer filth round in 2025, which is vital as a result of there’s loads of preconstruction work that wants to enter these tasks, whether or not you are on the museum campus, Michael Reese [former hospital site] or downtown, to get issues able to go, and so we’re solely one-quarter of the best way by means of the yr,” Warren stated on the NFL’s annual league assembly.
The Chicago Tribune first reported the information of the Bears’ plans to deal with Arlington Heights.
