Bears plan to play at Soldier Field throughout construction of new stadium, no transitional venue needed
Renderings of the proposed new Bears stadium
Chicago Bears
If everything works out for the Bears to build their new domed stadium on the lakefront south of Soldier Field, they won't need a temporary home venue. Team president Kevin Warren said Wednesday the construction plan, which would turn Soldier Field's site into a park-like area that could host anything from graduations to farmers' markets, is designed for Soldier Field to be usable throughout the process.
The Bears' ideal timeline, pending approval from the state legislature on public financing, is to break ground on the stadium in 2025 and open it for the 2028 season.
A team spokesman said the new stadium will have roughly 65,000 seats, similar to Soldier Field, but hold a larger capacity because of increased standing-room-only areas. Warren said capacity would be 77,000 for a Final Four.
The spokesman also said the playing surface for football will be artificial turf, though the exact type hasn't been selected yet.
Warren, chairman George McCaskey and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson spoke Wednesday at Soldier Field about the importance of the Bears staying in the city and released images of what the new domed stadium will look like.
"We're investing in the greatest city in the world," McCaskey said.
Renderings of the proposed new Bears stadium
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Renderings of the proposed new Bears stadium
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Renderings of the proposed new Bears stadium
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Renderings of the proposed new Bears stadium
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Bears COO Karen Murphy said the full project — the stadium and surrounding area — will cost $4.7 billion.
Johnson said the team is now "committed to staying in Chicago," which certainly wasn't the case a year ago.
The Bears still own a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights, which they bought for $197.2 million. That was the original target for the new stadium, they said.
Warren was asked Wednesday if he has closed the door on Arlington Heights, but did not answer directly, saying only that the Bears are focused on the lakefront site in Chicago.
Bears considering lakefront for new stadium
The plans, according to the team, will include additional green and open space with access to the lakefront and the Museum Campus, which Bears President Kevin Warren called “the most attractive footprint in the world.”
The final project would turn the current Soldier Field site into a park-like area, but that wouldn’t necessitate playing home games elsewhere during construction.
The USC quarterback, whom the Bears are expected to pick first in the NFL draft here on Thursday night, was clear that he’s prepared to play in cold temperatures in the NFL.
The Bears have hired political veteran Andrea Zopp to serve as a senior adviser on their legal team.
Gin Kilgore, acting executive director of Friends of the Parks, is not about to go along with what she called Bears President Kevin Warren’s “Buy now. This deal won’t last” sales pitch.
Frank Bilecki, executive director of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, said the Bears are eyeing the same portion of the hotel tax the White Sox hope to use to fund a new stadium in the South Loop.
“The next page in the playbook, if they lose this referendum, would be to threaten to move,” said Brad Humphreys, an economics professor at West Virginia University, who researches sports stadiums.
Mayor Brandon Johnson did not commit to spending a specific amount of public money to lakefront infrastructure improvements, but vowed that whatever public money is invested, it must be committed to creating more housing and jobs and “a sustainable, clean economy.”
Proposed referendum on November ballot could face opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson, but he “should want what the people of Chicago want,” Pat Quinn said.
It was the latest declaration from the Bears that playing downtown — and not on the 326-acre property it bought in Arlington Heights — is their preferred course of action.
As the team shifts focus from Arlington Heights to a new stadium south of Soldier Field, its proposals seek major infrastructure upgrades around the Museum Campus.
One day after the Bears offered to spend $2 billion in private money to help build a publicly owned dome near where Soldier Field sits now, Friends of the Parks board member Fred Bates was not appeased by the team’s sketchy promise to create nearly 20% more open space.
The Bears confirmed they have shifted plans from building a stadium in Arlington Heights to building one at the Museum Campus.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes Soldier Field, wants to put public transit in an underutilized busway to make the lakefront more accessible and surround the new stadium with bars, restaurants and a hotel.
“Wouldn’t it be unbelievable for our city if you were to see two amazing facilities for these great sports teams built at once?” said Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, which oversees the vacant 62-acre site where the White Sox hope to build.
Goodell steered clear of picking sides between the sites in Arlington Heights and Chicago, though.
The Bears are still talking to Arlington Heights officials to try to drive down their property tax assessment there. They’ve discussed staying on the lakefront, including building on a parking lot south of Soldier Field.
The Bears’ decision to have a surveyor examine the South Lot of Soldier Field, as a source confirmed Thursday, is the latest instance of the team exploring options for a new stadium outside of Arlington Heights.
Proposed Arlington Heights stadium updates
The overture comes as the Bears’ focus has shifted from the former Arlington Park racetrack to a domed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront.
The Bears’ looming property tax bill of close to $11 million leaves team brass looking elsewhere as they work toward breaking ground on a long-coveted dome.
An expected property tax bill around $11 million is well above what team leaders were hoping to pay as they weigh the possibilities of building a dome either in the suburbs or along Chicago’s lakefront.
The Bears’ legal team argues the property should be assessed as vacant land. The districts value the property at $160 million; the team values the site at $60 million.
The south suburb joins Naperville, Waukegan, Aurora and Richton Park in courting the team, which has hit an impasse in property tax negotiations in Arlington Heights.
The team’s president says the Bears won’t push for the legislation they argue is key to their plans for a massive development in Arlington Heights.
Mayor Johnson has not yet offered an alternative stadium site to the Bears if the team is determined to leave Soldier Field. He says he’s using this time for relationship building.
The team and city will need to work together going forward regardless of the stadium issue, and Warren seems intent on maintaining that relationship.
With the team’s Arlington Heights proposal in flux, an Aurora spokesman said Bears representatives “responded quickly and positively” to their entreaty, which follows others from Naperville and Waukegan.
While Naperville and other towns enter the picture, it really comes down to Arlington Heights versus Soldier Field, with one gaining momentum.
The Bears are stressing that demolition does not mean the team will necessarily develop the property for a new stadium. They bought the land for $197.3 million with that intent but have since grown dissatisfied with its property tax assessment.
As the team mulls a new stadium, Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor pitched the team on the north suburb’s “opportunities, advantages and history with the Bears organization.”
It’s too early to tell whether the team was bluffing when it said Arlington Heights has competition and introduced Naperville to the stadium game. Were the Bears angling for an Arlington Heights tax break?
“I grew up with the Super Bowl Shuffle,” said Wednesday, before a video chat with Bears President Kevin Warren. “We want to make sure that we can keep shufflin’ here in the city of Chicago with the Bears.”
Brandon Johnson’s promise to make $1 billion worth of “investments in people,” makes it tough to imagine him moving a new Chicago Bears stadium to the top of his “to do” list.
The proposal from Naperville comes as talks with Arlington Heights have stalled amid disagreements between the team and surrounding suburbs about taxing and school districts. The Bears vowed to keep working with Arlington Heights but said “it is no longer our singular focus.”
It’s another step toward leaving Soldier Field and building a new stadium in Arlington Heights.
State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, told lawmakers he needs more time — and more support — to clinch a deal that he says would freeze a property tax assessment for up to 40 years for the Arlington Heights stadium and create a $3 admission tax on all events held there.
The Bears have submitted paperwork with the Village of Arlington Heights to begin tearing down the track, a team official confirmed late Wednesday.
Columns and editorials
We all love sports teams, but regular people don’t own the buildings or the land they frolic upon. We just pay homage to the teams — and to the power-laden who own them.
That the Bears can just diesel their way in, Bronko Nagurski-style, and attempt to set a sweeping agenda for the future of one of the world’s most iconic water frontages is more than a bit troubling.
Based on what we’ve seen of the Bears plans so far, and given the lakefront’s civic importance, Mayor Johnson should steer the team to consider other locations in Chicago.
The idea of two new stadiums and public funding should be a nonstarter.
We citizens shouldn’t fall prey to our teams’ brazen financial requests.
There would be bountiful parking that Soldier Field lacks and the neighborhood would remain a sports mecca and home to Chicago’s most popular team.