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Bear Digest

Illinois Collects Two New Stadium Plans with Bears' Focus on Indiana

More abstract concepts and alternatives similar to defeated legislation are coming from Illinois legislators, all while the Bears step closer to being an Indiana team.
Gene Chamberlain|
The Illinois legislature already balked at a Bears stadium plan on two fronts and now there are other ideas surfacing. But it's a little late for new ideas.
The Illinois legislature already balked at a Bears stadium plan on two fronts and now there are other ideas surfacing. But it's a little late for new ideas. | Thomas J. Turney/The State Journal-Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Illinois' diluted approach to addressing a Bears stadium continues.

At a time when legislators should be behind at least one of the plans already proposed in Springfield, for either payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) or the Cook County stadium boards plan, two more ideas have been proposed.

Anyone else got something they want to throw out there? Does someone have a backyard or maybe even a big side yard they'd like to include as a possible stadium site?

According to NBC's Paris Schultz, Illinois State Rep. Curtis Tarver is calling on the city to come up with a plan for a stadium in a development at the old "south works" site. Schultz said Tarver points out there is already $500 million in public investment in the plans for this area.

This an area near Lake Michigan but far south of Soldier field and also south of the old Michael Reese hospital that was proposed as a site but was considered too small. The hospital is a 48-acre site between 26th and 31st streets on the lakefront. A 48-acre site is too small. The Bears' Arlington Heights property is 326 acres.

However, Tarver's site is a much bigger area starting near 79th Street and running south to the mouth of the Calumet River where a 440-acre technology district called Quantum Shore is planned. It is the centerpiece for the Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park. The entire thing is the site of the former U.S. South Steel Works.

"The Bears should look seriously at the South Works quantum district and the surrounding Southeast Side, not as a substitute for the quantum campus but as part of a broader plan for sports, science, health, education, lakefront access, jobs, small business growth, and neighborhood revival," Tarver wrote in his proposal.

The Bears would remain in Illinois and Chicago under this idea, but it's merely a concept. There is no well-thought-out plan involved for them.

At the same time, there is more thought behind a proposal pushed forth by State Rep. Martin McLaughlin, a Republican from Lake Barrington. His plan is deisgned to give the Bears what they needs to build the Arlington Heights stadium.

McLaughlin calls it the Taxpayer and Investment Protection Agreement (TIPA, House Bill 5797). Part of the proposal says the Bears would invest $2.5 billion to construct a new stadium, the state would contribute no more than $1.2 million for infrastructure improvements for the stadium and a surrounding economic development. He estimated the economic development area would cost about $4 billion.

There would be a third-party committee responsible for auditing the entire project in terms of finances and obligations to make sure no one is being stung by it.

There are provisions to protect taxpayers near the stadium and otherise.

While this appears to be more thoroughly addressed, it has the same basic problem as other legislation discussed in May in Springfield. That is, they would be leaving Chicago and will have a difficult time finding the support they need from Chicago politicians to put this into effect. In particular, it's Mayor Brandon Johnson who sought to keep the Bears at or near Soldier field.

The only thing that can work at this late of a date is one of the two plans already debated in Springfield. The PILOT program was successfully put to a vote in one branch of the legislature and needs to pass the other.

There isn't even a call coming forth for a summer session yet for the legislature to re-address all of this. Meanwhile Indiana has its plan done and is working through last details, like the exact location.

The time for Illinois to reconsider, do studies and discuss things is long gone.

The time for immediate action is here and the best way for this to occur is getting behind one of the two plans proposed May 31 and June 1. Then, vote it into law.

They still have a small window open with Indiana reshuffling the site in Hammond to a second Hammond site.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker blamed the Bears for not communicating what they have wanted all along, according to NBC Chicago.

It's been made clear since the beginning that the Bears want tax certainty and infrastucture paid for at about $860 million, but Illinois seemed to ignore this during its discussions in May. The Bears plan to pay for just over $2 billion for construction of the stadium. Illinois has the commitment issue.

Indiana hasn't had a problem determining what the Bears want and they speak the same language.

"We're not going to do what Indiana has done, which is raise taxes, sales tax, raise tolls on people in order to pay for a stadium for a billionaire-owned team and, instead, we're going to protect taxpayers," Pritzker said.

In a very related matter, Illinois Policy.org on April 28 reported Pritzker wants more tax and fee hikes even after presiding over at least 57 that have cost taxpayers $77 billion since 2019.

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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.

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