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Compromise Aimed at Keeping Bears in Illinois Said to Be Building

An Arlington Heights stadium could become possible in the next two days and reports say a city/suburban deal to produce support for legislation is building.
Gene Chamberlain|
Whether this property in Arlington Heights becomes home to the Bears could become more clear within the next two days.
Whether this property in Arlington Heights becomes home to the Bears could become more clear within the next two days. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

It's now down to frantic hours before the final gun goes off on Bears chances for Illinois stadium legislation, but hopes continue to build in Springfield for keeping them from moving out of state.

The co-sponsor of the mega-project bill to let the Bears and others with major construction projects negotiate payments in lieu of taxes is confident a bill will be agreed upon before the Sunday night deadline passes. As a result, the Bears would get what they seek to build a domed stadium in Arlington Heights rather than one across the border in Hammond, Ind.

State senator Kam Buckner on Friday in a Sun-Times article said some type of compromise agreement will be reached that helps both the City of Chicago as well as the Bears' attempt to  build at Arlington Heights. A compromise rewarding the city will allow some backing for Bears legislation for their suburban stadium.

“We’re not going to lose the Bears to Hammond," Buckner said in an article by Fran Spielman. "The McCaskey family knows that is a bad move for them. You don’t elevate a platform or grow an organization by shrinking where it’s at.”

A Crain's Chicago Business report had said legislation was being scaled back with the Bears and Arlington Height specifically targeted rather than the massive mega-project bill that encompassed the entire state with the idea of giving tax relief to all projects over $100 million.

This smaller bill would avoid the fears many around the state have of losing tax revenue for school districts because new construction projects could avoid too much in tax hikes with negotiated payments.

However, getting this passed in the Illinois Senate is going to require having more Chicago legislators on board, and Buckner said he has confidence in Chicago's Bill Cunningham, president pro temp of the Senate.

"We've got three days left in the legislative session, and in most cases, three days does not seem like a long time, but in Springfield terms, that is a lifetime," Buckner said, according to CBS in Chicago.

According to Arlington Heights Democratic state Sen. Mark Walker in a Daily Herald article by Christopher Placek, the plan could include several things for the city and elsewhere in the state. The bonus to lure in Chicago politicians would be helping with funds for the Museum Campus area to solve traffic issues, and aid other projects.

“We may do some things in here, for instance, especially help (for) the city of Chicago because of the special situation that they’re leaving a stadium in the city of Chicago. Those kinds of things would not apply elsewhere in the state,” Walker said.

Some things would be expanding the STAR bond program to Chicago and other places downstate, help for long-stalled projects in downtown Springfield, and a way to help redevelopment of underused rail yards. One of those would be just south of the Loop.

While all of this sounds optimistic, Buckner wasn't at all suggesting approximately $850 million for infrastructure improvements the Bears need at the Arlington Heights site would be forthcoming before Sunday night.

Whether that's a deal breaker or is something that can be put off into the future could be another factor in causing problems for the Bears' Arlington Height Stadium.

The Bears say they're making a late spring or early summer decision between Arlington Heights or Hammond. Whether this infrastructure allocation is necessary at this point for them to stay in Illinois will be apparent if the bill passes and they then make their decision.

Whatever happens, if the bill passing the Senate is different than the one passed earlier by the House, there must be another House vote and then Gov. J.B. Pritzker can sign off on it.

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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.