LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – The Bears began their pursuit of a new stadium in earnest in June 2021, when they first placed a bid to purchase the 326-acre Arlington Park property. Three-and-a-half years later, their stadium plan remains unclear.
President/CEO Kevin Warren’s hope remains for the Bears to construct a new stadium in the city, but he also indicated Tuesday that Arlington Heights remains an option. In meeting with reporters at Halas Hall, Warren reiterated his goal is for the Bears to break ground on the stadium in 2025.
“Downtown still remains the focus, the museum campus,” Warren said. “I feel that we made a massive amount of momentum. Again, I've been here 20 months and we've made great progress. But along those lines, we own 326 acres of beautiful land in Arlington Heights. It's a fantastic piece of property. We were able to get the memorandum of understanding done there. So, optionality does exist, but I'll remain steadfast that the goal remains that we have shovels in the ground in 2025, and I'm confident that will happen.
“We have stadium meetings every single day. From a political standpoint, from a business standpoint, these things are massive projects. I've been here before (with the Vikings’ stadium project). This is not buying a house where you go and find it and you put a deposit down and then you close on a certain day. There are so many things that come together.
“Especially as we get into the spring and summer, you'll start seeing some of this progress that I’m talking about now. I feel the momentum is really moving in the right direction and from a stadium standpoint, we're right exactly where I thought we would be.”
The Bears closed on their $197.2-million purchase of Arlington Park in February 2023. As owners of the property, the team led the teardown of Arlington International Racecourse, which was previously on that land.
But in March 2023, the Bears shifted their stadium focus back to the city amid tensions with three local school districts in Arlington Heights over property tax assessments. In April 2023, the Bears and city officials held a press conference at Soldier Field in which they unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art stadium to be constructed on the museum campus. The Bears pledged $2 billion in funding toward a project that was estimated to be at least $4.7 billion, but they have failed to secure the public funding that’s needed for it to move forward. A publicly funded stadium has been a non-starter for key state legislators.
The Bears and those three school districts in Arlington Heights reached a property tax agreement in December, a key development if the team decides to turn its focus back to the northwest suburb.
“No, it’s not taking too long,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said of the stadium project. “These things take time. We’re making progress. And we're looking forward to a good result.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on X @CEmma670.