(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — When state lawmakers meet in Springfield in October, they aren't expected to debate incentives for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears.
As they consider where they should build a new stadium, the Bears are having productive discussions with the city of Chicago and will continue to talk with leaders from Arlington Heights and other locations, so the team won't push bills for a mega-development in the veto session, president/CEO Kevin Warren told the Chicago Tribune.
State Rep. Mary Beth Canty from Arlington Heights told the paper she doesn’t see much interest in Bears-specific legislation, and it seems unlikely that support for it would grow. She thinks it’s right for them to focus on what they can control.
Legislators have introduced bills to freeze property tax assessments on such mega-developments and establish new fees to pay off debt from the Soldier Field remodel 20 years ago as well as infrastructure improvements near the property the team bought in Arlington Heights.
The Bears paid $197 million to buy the Arlington Park racecourse. Their lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033.