Hammond Bears? Team says Indiana site near Wolf Lake is now their main stadium focus

The Hammond Bears?

Indiana state legislators sure seem to think that’s where Chicago’s football team is headed — though the team stopped short of committing to pulling up stakes from Illinois and moving across the border.

An Indiana House committee advanced legislation Thursday creating a stadium finance authority that would help the team build a stadium in northwest Indiana, a move that the team called “the most meaningful step forward” in a saga that has stretched on for about three years.

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston said he wouldn’t call the Bears legislation that passed the state Senate last month without a commitment from the team that they’ll make the move.

He apparently heard enough to bring it to his chamber's Ways & Means Committee, which unanimously passed the measure during a jovial hearing that saw some officials, including Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, tear up — though no team official addressed the panel directly.

“I think we found a great partner in the Chicago Bears,” Huston said. “Today is a historic day, one we look forward to building upon.”

McDermott said “Hammond's ready to partner with the state of Indiana. Hammond's ready to partner with the Chicago Bears — basically, Hammond will do whatever it takes to help make this project a success.”

Huston read a statement from the Bears, asserting the Indiana bill’s passage “would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana.”

A Bears spokesman said “Hammond is the site we are focused on. Work to be done.”

That wouldn’t appear to rule out the team’s long-coveted move to Arlington Heights, one of three places the team has pointed its focus to over the past few years, along with Chicago and Hammond.

Complaining of a lack of legislative partnership in their current home state, the Bears announced in December they were looking at Indiana as a potential destination, visiting several spots with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last month.

The movement appeared to spur some action in Springfield, where the team is seeking legislation that would allow them to negotiate payments with local taxing bodies in lieu of paying full property taxes.

An Illinois House panel had been set for a hearing on such legislation Thursday, but the committee canceled the meeting.

Gov. JB Pritzker, who has supported the prospect of publicly funding infrastructure projects to support a stadium, has expressed optimism in ongoing negotiations with the team.

“I think that progress has been made,” he said Wednesday, after delivering his annual State of the State address.

Other sources close to the Arlington Heights negotiations were also optimistic about the direction of talks.

A Pritzker spokesperson on Thursday said "Illinois was ready to move this bill forward. After a productive three hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the ILGA pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."

The Indiana bill would empower a newly created Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to build a stadium for the Bears and sell it to the team for $1 once the 40-year bonds are paid off. The Bears would also have the option to buy the Indiana stadium sooner by retiring the outstanding debt.

In the meantime, the Bears would sign a 35-year lease that would allow the team to retain all revenues generated by the stadium.

Hoosier lawmakers are aiming to pass it by the end of the month. Illinois lawmakers are in session through May.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun trumpeted his state’s progress with the team, saying their legislation “puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly.

“The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we’ve demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature to set the stage for a huge win for all Hoosiers,” Braun said in a social media post. “We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”