Bears Reopened Chicago Stadium Contact, Complicating $850 Million Arlington Heights Push
Updated
Updated · NBC Chicago · May 21
Bears Reopened Chicago Stadium Contact, Complicating $850 Million Arlington Heights Push
5 articles · Updated · NBC Chicago · May 21
Late-April contact between the Bears and Chicago about a hypothetical lakefront fallback has stiffened opposition among city lawmakers to a bill backing the team’s Arlington Heights project, State Sen. Bill Cunningham said.
That resistance matters because the PILOT bill would lock in property taxes at Arlington Heights, while the team is also seeking $850 million in state-funded infrastructure support around the site.
A source close to negotiations disputed Cunningham’s account, saying the recent talks concerned Soldier Field lease parameters rather than a renewed stadium discussion and accusing City Hall of using them to slow the bill.
The dispute adds to existing headwinds: Cunningham said the Bears still have not provided a traffic study needed to map infrastructure spending, and the May 31 legislative deadline could pass without a final decision.
Publicly, the Bears and NFL say only Arlington Heights and Hammond, Indiana, are under consideration; Indiana lawmakers have already approved up to $1 billion in incentives to lure the team.
Did Chicago's political hardball save taxpayers money, or just delay a massive bill for a new Bears stadium?
Why do cities offer huge subsidies for NFL stadiums when economists agree they are a bad public investment?