The Chicago Bears unveiled designs Wednesday for a new domed stadium on the parking lot south of Soldier Field. The team has pledged $2 billion to help fund the project, but is reportedly looking for at least that much in taxpayer money.
Courtesy of the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears on Wednesday unveiled their long-rumored plans for a publicly-owned domed stadium on the Chicago lakefront as they try to curry favor with state and city legislators to help pay for it.
The Bears say they will commit $2 billion to the project, but may be seeking that much or more in public funds to pay for the rest of it, with a total price tag of more than $4 billion expected.
The Chicago Bears unveiled designs Wednesday for a new domed stadium on the parking lot south of Soldier Field. The team has pledged $2 billion to help fund the project, but is reportedly looking for at least that much in taxpayer money.
Courtesy of the Chicago Bears
“Contributing more than $2 billion in private dollars into this new publicly owned stadium will unlock tremendous economic development opportunities, add jobs for the city and the region, and create a tremendous home field advantage for the Chicago Bears,” team President and CEO Kevin Warren said. “When we complete this investment, Chicago will be able to bid for the Super Bowl, the Final Four, college events, concerts, and other mega events that could be hosted in our city. This means billions of tourism dollars that Chicago currently cannot capture — helping our city regain its reputation for hosting global events.”
The noontime VIP event at the United Club inside Soldier Field — attended by Chicago city officials and a throng of media — was hosted by Warren, Bears Chairman George McCaskey and other top team brass and consultants. They unveiled sketches of an enclosed stadium on Soldier Field’s south parking lot and additional green space on the surrounding Museum Campus.
The Chicago Bears unveiled designs Wednesday for a new domed stadium on the parking lot south of Soldier Field. The team has pledged $2 billion to help fund the project, but is reportedly looking for at least that much in taxpayer money.
Courtesy of the Chicago Bears
It mirrored a presentation McCaskey and then-team President Ted Phillips made at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights in September 2022, when renderings for a domed stadium and adjoining mixed-use district at Arlington Park were revealed. The team closed on its purchase of the 326-acre property in February 2023.
But since Phillips retired and Warren took the helm, the NFL franchise has shifted its focus away from the suburbs and back to the city.
The Wednesday reveal came on the eve of one of the biggest NFL Draft nights in history for the Bears, who hold the first overall pick and appear poised to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
Touchdown Arlington, the pro-Bears-to-Arlington Heights business coalition, was set to host its latest letter-writing party at Jimmy D’s District sports bar on draft night to urge three Arlington Heights-area school boards to reach agreement with the Bears on a yearlong property tax dispute.
But amid the release of the city stadium plans, group organizers decided to postpone their event to gather more information.
In an email to supporters, Touchdown Arlington leaders wrote that they still believe an Arlington Heights stadium is very much on the table, since there are significant issues facing the proposed development on the lakefront. They include funding, opposition from local groups, public ownership of the stadium, and a lack of public interest in contributing taxpayer dollars to the project.
The Bears so far have received a tepid response in Springfield for authorization to extend Illinois Sports Facilities Authority bonds, backed by the 2% Chicago hotel tax, that could help bankroll the redevelopment. The Chicago White Sox are seeking the same pot of money, amid other potential financing mechanisms, for a new ballpark at The 78 redevelopment in the South Loop.
For more on this developing story, check back later to dailyherald.com.