Chicago Bears officials tell city's mayor building stadium in suburbs a priority

The saga surrounding the Chicago Bears and their desire for a new stadium has taken another turn.

The Bears have told the city of Chicago that they have their sights set on Arlington Heights for a new stadium. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said discussions with the team’s executive leadership revealed that the Bears intend to prioritize the development of the site of the former Arlington Park Racecourse.

“Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,” the team said in a statement.

The team unveiled plans for a new domed stadium next to Soldier Field in April 2024, but they met resistance from state lawmakers over their requests for public funding for the project. The cost of the stadium and surrounding infrastructure was estimated to be $4.7 billion.

The Bears also met with opposition from the group "Friends of the Parks" and vowed to push to protect public access to the lakefront.

The team bought the Arlington Heights property for nearly $200 million in 2023. Team President Kevin Warren said they were fortunate to find such a prime piece of real estate.

“The McCaskey family had the foresight to purchase that land in Arlington Heights, but to be able to find 326 acres that close to a wonderful city is difficult to do, ” said Warren at the NFL owner’s meetings last month. “I don’t know if that exists anywhere in the country.”

Arlington Heights recently approved a deal to open a formal review of the Bears’ $5 billion plan to build a stadium project.

“This is obviously a significant milestone in the project, therefore, it is now necessary to re-engage with our consulting team so that all this information can be vetted and evaluated,” said Arlington Heights village manager Randall Recklaus.

Chicago’s lakefront has been home to the Bears since 1971. Their lease at Soldier Field expires in 2033.