Skip to main content
Bear Digest

Arlington Heights Gains New Life as Bears Get Involved in Stadium Talks

Arlington Heights is back in play after reports the Bears are involved in new Illinois stadium talks, as Illinois races for a late save.
Gene Chamberlain|
The Bears-Arlington Heights stadium rendering.
The Bears-Arlington Heights stadium rendering. | Stadium rendering courtesy of Manica

In this story:

Chicago Bears

The Bears are reportedly working behind the scenes with Illinois to assist in crafting a stadium plan.

Politico on Monday reported a plan to revive Arlington Heights as a possible stadium site, but this isn't something new.

What is apparently new within the report is the Bears are said to actually be involved in the talks in order to make it known exactly what they want to see in legislation for this plan.

Last week, Lake Barrington's Republican state representative Martin McLaughlin proposed a taxpayer-investment protection agreement that would have included the Bears paying $2.5 billion for stadium construction and $1.2 billion in public infrastructure improvement, with a third-party audit committee to make sure all parties honor commitments. It's unclear whether the work being done is on his legislation or some other concept.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker had criticized the Bears for not making it known to the legislators exactly what they wanted, although their need for tax certainty and public infrastructure improvement have long been public. Apparently the Bears now are making it more clear what they want in any legislation and the legislators are said to be listening.

The Bears turned their focus to Indiana in June but the Indiana Capital Chronicle reported there are some problems with the plan in Indiana now after the Hoosier state had clear sailing to this point on its push. Porter County is involved in the tax hikes within the Indiana plan and there is opposition there to such hikes.

It's all enough to think Illinois could have an opening here to get the Bears refocused on Illinois both publicly and privately, because the report by Politico makes it obvious they are at least pondering on building the domed stadium on the land they own at the old Arlington International Racecourse.

There are no timelines involved because Illinois' legislature is on hiatus until November. However, a special session can be called. If a plan is agreed upon by the Bears with Illinois legislators, it's possible the special session would take place.

“They’ve got to figure out how they can get the legislature, both sides, around the same bill, and I would be happy to call a special session,” Pritzker said last week to reporters.

In Illinois at the end of last month the House and Senate both passed bills aimed at helping the Bears, but they had different ways to do it and there was no agreement focused on a specific plan. Then the Bears announced they had changed their focus to Indiana before the week ended and Pritzker began pointing his finger at the Bears for waffling.

Initially it was Pritkzer opposing the Bears' move out of Chicago to Arlington Heights. Then, when he supported it but it failed in Springfield after Chicago opposition, he started pointing fingers again at the Bears. Pritzker continues to want to take credit for a deal if one gets done. However, he can't be made to look like he had a hand in driving them out of Illinois if they leave because it hurts his national political aspirations.

Bears don't own exclusive waffling rights

Every time it looks like they might go to Indiana, Pritzker pulls out a card saying he's not paying billionaires public money. Of course, when it looks like they're coming back to Illinois he's not saying this and is taking credit for the sides coming together.

“I put together the deal to start with, to make sure that we knew all things — the Bears didn’t come with a list," Pritzker claimed. "It was all the things that they said, but didn’t have a plan around, we put a plan together."

Indiana, however, did not have a similar problem in interacting with the Bears. This can suggest something about Illinois' ineffective efforts to date.

Now Indiana could have problems with some dissent from Porter County residents who oppose the idea there of a 1% food and beverage tax in Porter and Lake County and a doubling of the 5% hotel tax in Lake County. Hammond is located within Lake County.

If Illinois wants to regain the upper hand in this arm-wrestling match for the Bears stadium there might never be a better time to get a deal finished than now.

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
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.