The price tag for the Bears' next stadium in Arlington Heights may have just gone up, now that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has laid out a condition for the property tax relief the team wants.
Bears CEO Kevin Warren's letter to season-ticket holders this week said the team plans to build a domed stadium without using state funds for construction, but noted that the front office is looking to Springfield for a break on property taxes for the old Arlington Park site.
During an appearance at McCormick Place on Wednesday, Governor Pritzker suggested that the Bears need to do something first: "We need the Bears to pay off what's owed on the existing stadium. That's going to be a really important feature of whatever happens."
He's talking about the loan that covered the 2003 renovations at Soldier Field. It still isn't paid off, and the balance is $534 million. In case you're curious, that works out to about $8,600 for every person in the stands on a sold-out Sunday.
The governor noted that the state works with a lot of private businesses on property tax incentives, but when it comes to the Bears, "if they want a ... bill or some other help, we're going to make that a pre-requisite."
And that would be on top of anything they'd have to pay to the Chicago Park District if they intend to leave Soldier Field before 2033.
The governor said he has not talked to the Bears in a few weeks ... and noted while he wants the team to stay in the city, as a private business it can move wherever it likes.