Bears Won't Seek Legislation This Fall To Help Finance Stadium Deal

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears won’t seek legislation this fall that would provide them with a long-term tax break in building a new stadium as team officials remain engaged with several communities — including Chicago — about where a new multi-billion-dollar domed venue will be built.

In a statement on Wednesday, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said that the team is continuing a “methodical and intentional” process of finding a new stadium home. The announcement comes after the Bears announced earlier this summer that things have reached a stalemate in Arlington Heights, which was long considered the team’s lone option for building a new stadium and multi-development entertainment and business district.

Warren said in a previous interview that everything remains on the table for the Bears, who have received proposals for stadium sites from Naperville, Aurora, Waukegan, Richton Park, and Chicago. Warren said that the team is looking for a public-private partnership to develop a property for a new domed stadium, which team officials hope can host major events such as Super Bowls, Final Fours, College Football Playoff games, concerts, and other events.

Warren said in a statement released on Wednesday that the team will continue to pursue “the best stadium solution for our franchise, our fans, and the region.”

Warren said that the team has recently engaged in positive conversations with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about keeping the Bears in Chicago. The team had essentially ignored hopes by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot to keep the team in a re-imagined Soldier Field that would include a dome, claiming that it was not considering any other location outside of Soldier Field.

But Warren said on Wednesday that with conversations going on with leaders in Chicago, Arlington Heights “and other Chicagoland locations”, the team “will not be pursuing legislative support for mega projective incentive legislation in the Illinois General Assembly’s fall veto session.”

The team continues to demolish the former Arlington Park Racecourse, which the team paid $197.2 million for the 326-acre property to develop into a new stadium home. However, several issues have reportedly pushed things back in Arlington Heights, where Warren met with local residents at a meeting earlier this summer.

Several proposed pieces of legislation introduced this spring by lawmakers — including those from Arlington Heights — sought tax benefits and other incentives for the Bears.

A version of the bill, sponsored by Des Plaines Democrat and State Rep. Marty Moylan added a $3 per ticket tax on every ticket sold for the new stadium that would allow the Bears to pay down what they still owe on the renovations that were done on Soldier Field in 2002.

Moylan had also proposed that several communities including Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, and Wheeling would all get cuts of state revenues generated by sales tax, liquor sales, hotel tax and sports betting. According to the bill, Arlington Heights will receive the biggest share at 30 percent.

In a letter to season-ticket holders issued last week, Warren said that the team remains committed to delivering a “best-in-class” gameday experience for fans that would ensure a strong future for the franchise.

However, outside of referencing re-engagement with Chicago’s Mayor, Warren did not give many specifics of which way the team is leaning regarding a possible future home for the team.

“We have emphasized to all these leaders that any stadium effort would be backed by considerable private investment that would lead to significant economic impact and job creation opportunities across Chicagoland,” Warren wrote. “In each instance, we also stressed the need for stability and predictability along with an appropriate partnership commensurate with the long-term public benefits of the project. A public-private partnership will allow for regional improvements while providing a long-term investment in the community. We are encouraged by the progress so far, and we look forward to narrowing and defining our location in the near future.”