Bears ownership needs a money package to start building an Arlington Heights stadium-village.
The ownership group of the National Football League Chicago Bears franchise, a business that could be worth as much as $8.8 billion, wants action from state politicians and wants tax incentives and other perks soon so it can go ahead with the construction of a stadium-village in Arlington Heights, Illinois. The state legislature didn’t bother with a stadium money package in the spring session but there is a fall session where the body could consider the governor’s vetoes. The situation the Bears ownership group claims is dire. The financial aid has to be delivered in October.
“The biggest item that remains, that has remained, is the fact that this mega project build that was on the docket in the spring but was not put forth for a vote, but it is very, very important that it passes,” Kevin Warren, the Bears business’s president has stated. “Because without that legislation, we are not able to proceed forward. We stand ready. The stadium is designed.” The Bears ownership group wants lawmakers in Springfield, Illinois’ capital, to pass legislation that would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects like the stadium. “The goal would still be to be in a position to move dirt this year. There’s still work, some initial work that needs to be done to get the site ready, but to hopefully break ground next year formally but to actually move dirt this year,” said Warren. The Chicago Bears ownership has not been able to convince Illinois Governor JB Pritzker or Illinois lawmakers to free up money from taxpayers to help build a Bears venue in either Chicago or in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. It appears Chicago is out of the stadium game for now. In February, 2023, Bears’ ownership purchased the 326 acres of property in Arlington Heights for $197.2 million to build a stadium-village.
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