Bears ownership is taking its time in deciding what area is best for business.
The President and CEO of the Chicago Bears franchise Kevin Warren doesn’t seem to have too much of an update on how the business is faring in the real National Football League standings, the stadium game. Stadium building takes a while and Warren is talking about staying in Chicago or moving to Arlington Heights or somewhere else in the Chicago metropolitan area. There was a report that Bears ownership is kicking the tires at Soldier Field’s south parking lot as a venue site. Political and business leaders from Country Club Hills, Illinois, which is about 25 miles south of downtown Chicago, sent a letter to Warren and the principal Bears’ franchise owner 101-year-old Virginia McCaskey to take a look at the town.
Politicians in Arlington Heights, Aurora, Chicago, Naperville, Richton Park and Waukegan want a chance at building a Bears’ stadium-village complex. The McCaskey family purchased a 326-acre piece of property in Arlington Heights that could house a stadium-village. The McCaskeys were dedicated to the Arlington Heights site and planned to move the team to the Chicago suburb but then the McCaskeys received the tax bill on the property and they didn’t like what they saw. The property tax was higher than anticipated and that caused the McCaskeys to do a double take. The McCaskey family may take up to a year to figure out what area works the best. The answer to what works best is simple. Where can ownership make the most money possible. Warren is intrigued about the possibility of remaining in Chicago. The McCaskey family is contractually obligated to use Soldier Field for Bears’ games until 2033 but the lease can be terminated early if the McCaskey’s pay a lease breaking penalty. The Bears ownership is nowhere near the end zone in its bid to win the stadium game.
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