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Plan Could Breathe New Life Into Illinois' Bears Stadium Hopes

While the Bears are waffling on where exactly they would build the Hammond stadium, the Illinois legislature could take another crack at defeated funding idea,.
Gene Chamberlain|
The idea of building at the old Arlington Park racetrack site may not be dead yet if one plan eventually gets passed.
The idea of building at the old Arlington Park racetrack site may not be dead yet if one plan eventually gets passed. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Chicago Bears On SI video

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Chicago Bears

The never-ending story of the Bears stadium is just that. It hasn't ended even after the Bears said they're focusing now on Indiana.

For one, where in Indiana? The site at Wolf Lake, which has been the focal point for Indiana's plans, suddenly is not the place the Bears want to see such a stadium built. At least this is the case according to Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, in a report by NBC Chicago's Mary Ann Ahern. The report says the Bears have interest in a different site near the original one at Wolf Lake, but its exact location was not given.

This is important for Illinois because any bit of discord between Indiana and the Bears could supply more time for either Arlington Heights or Chicago to come up with a better plan for a stadium, before ground is broken in Indiana. And there is already a movement afoot to try to redirect the Bears' attention back out of the Hoosier state.

The payment in lieu of taxes plan the Bears and Arlington Heights had backed in the Illinois legislature died without a vote in the state's Senate at the end of May, and then a subsequent last-ditch effort to pass a stadium authority plan died in the House before the spring session ended. But Geneva Republican state representative Dan Ugaste is about to file a new plan for Springfield's consideration aimed at helping the Bears build using payment in lieu of taxes just like they originally attempted.

According to Fox in Chicago, Ugaste's PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) plan would be intended to get the Bears the long-term tax certainty they seek while also providing protection for local taxpayers from higher property tax caused by the stadium and surrounding construction. There is also a part of this legislation aimed at lowering property taxes for Illinois homeowners and businesses. It's a plan that uses STAR bonds to help with financing.

The Bears have already said they would pay $2 billion for construction but would need infrastructure paid for in the area.

They initially sought to have the payment in lieu of taxes to provide their tax certainty by negotiating this with local school districts, and reached a settlement. However, the state wouldn't grant the Arlington Heights area and the Bears the power to put the result of those negotiations into effect.

Time is of the essence here and Ugaste told Fox he plans to file this plan with the state government this week. Already, it would seem to be ahead of the Chicago attempts of Mayor Brandon Johnson to come up with a way to keep the Bears in the city, because it's a concrete proposal and not a floating idea. Gov. J.B. Pritzker had blasted the mayor for never having a real new idea on this situation.

Whether this proposal would pass and whether they could try to do it with a special summer session of the legislature or would have to wait until November seems to be the real obstacle at this point. Time is critical after the Bears said they're focusing on Indiana.

There are many who think they are still bluffing about Indiana, but their ties with that state and the surrounding area continue to build each day. As long as that is happening, even if it is meant as leverage there is a much better chance that facility becomes reality because they're well past where Illinois is in its bid to get something done.

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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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