GARY, Ind. (WBBM Newsradio) -- The city of Gary on Friday released new renderings and site proposals aimed at luring the Chicago Bears to northwest Indiana, intensifying a two-state competition over where the NFL franchise could build a next-generation stadium.
On a newly launched website, bearstadiumdistrict.com, Gary unveiled conceptual plans featuring a domed stadium, promenade and surrounding mixed-use development. City officials said three locations are ready for immediate development, though no final site has been selected.
The proposals come weeks after Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said in a mid-December open letter to fans that the team would explore options outside Illinois after efforts to secure public assistance for infrastructure around a proposed stadium in Arlington Heights were rebuffed by lawmakers.
Gary Mayor Eddie Melton said the city is offering what the Bears have sought most: tax certainty and speed.
The three proposed sites are:
• Gary West End Entertainment District, a 400-acre tract adjacent to Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, the state’s highest-grossing gaming facility, with direct access to Interstates 80 and 94 and nearby Cline Avenue.
• Buffington Harbor, a 145-acre waterfront site near an active harbor and about a half-mile from Lake Michigan and an existing marina, adjacent to Gary/Chicago International Airport.
• Miller Beach, a 760-acre lakefront area next to Indiana Dunes National Park, which draws about 3 million visitors annually and is pitched as a “stadium-on-the-lake” destination.
The city said all three sites offer rail access via the South Shore Line, Amtrak service from Chicago’s Union Station, interstate highway connections through I-80, I-94, I-65 and the Chicago Skyway, and air travel through Gary/Chicago International Airport, along with local bus service.
The Bears have not announced a decision and say they continue to evaluate options. Earlier this week, the team sent a survey to a large group of fans asking their views on a possible move to Indiana or Arlington Heights, calling it a routine part of the stadium planning process.