Bear Digest

More Bears stadium renderings mean nothing until bill passes

Analysis: More Bears stadium renderings were released for their Arlington Heights project but until Springfield allows for tax relief the plans mean nothing.
Gene Chamberlain|
What's left of the Arlington Park racetrack, where the Bears plan their stadium, if it ever gets approval.
What's left of the Arlington Park racetrack, where the Bears plan their stadium, if it ever gets approval. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

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Chicago Bears

The Bears have release new renderings of their Arlington Park stadium through the design firm, a structure very similar to the one they planned for the lakefront before flipping the plans back to the suburbs.

The project is designed by Manica Architecture and there was actually a rendering released last week, so this is really nothing new.

There is a mixed-use area, which is a district for business around the $4.2 billion stadium. This has always been part of the plan.

The actual problem with all of this is the stadium project has no clearance to begin because they need a bill passed in Springfield allowing for the establishment of a tax freeze, then numerous meetings locally with the Bears and Arlington Heights plus surrounding areas, then a final vote by the village board.

Then everything can actually proceed.

It's just like it was several months ago.

None of this is ever going to occur until they can get the Springfield OK and at the moment the large obstacle appears to be Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and his self-announced stance in favor of keeping the Bear from leaving Chicago.

The Bears are funding the construction after buying the old racetrack, but say they need the tax rate assurance. They claim the project will bring 9,000 permanent jobs and 56,000 temporary jobs to the northwest suburbs.

Another issue entering into all of this is the stadium would be in Cook County and Chicago dominates the county, so almost anything they try to do tax-wise in Springfield will be heavily opposed by the Chicago contingent.

At the moment, it would appear the Bears would need to go it without the tax assurances unless they can swing some type of deal to appease Cook County and Springfield politicians.

There is great skepticism with the fan base that this will ever get built based on how long and all the turns it has taken.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.