Is Arlington Heights Back In The Bears' Stadium Game?

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Is Arlington Heights Back In The Bears’ Stadium Game?

Evan Weiner

July 21, 2024

The Bears’ stadium game continues.

The mayor of Arlington Heights, Illinois, Tom Hayes, thinks he may have solved the property tax problem that has prevented the National Football League’s Chicago Bears franchise ownership from building a stadium in the Chicago suburb. Bears’ ownership wants a new stadium with a dome as part of a stadium-village and initially thought it hit pay dirt by spending $197.2 million for the 326-acre Arlington Race Track property in February 2023. All was good until the Bears’ ownership received a property tax bill. Suddenly, Bears’ ownership was not interested in Arlington Heights even though the ownership has the property. But the Bears’ brand is huge in the Chicagoland area and other municipalities like Aurora want to try and impress the McCaskey family, the owners of the Bears franchise.

Chicago has a chance at keeping the team in the city at Soldier Field. 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. “We’ve worked very hard to come to an agreement with the school districts that I think the Bears can be comfortable with, and that’s been communicated to the Bears, and that’s what we’re discussing now,” Hayes told the Daily Herald newspaper. “So I feel very comfortable that should the Bears re engage with us and continue to explore the Arlington Park site, that the road is going to be much easier than we found in past months.” Bears ownership would like to build a stadium in the Soldier Field south parking lot. Illinois elected officials aren’t keen on investing money into a Bears’ venue whether it is Arlington Heights or Chicago. What will it take for any town to get the McCaskey’s business? Show the McCaskeys money as money talks.

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