The Chicago Bears NFL franchise has reached a tentative agreement with the village of Arlington Heights and local school district leaders over a property tax bill for a potential new stadium at Arlington International Racecourse.
In May last year, the Bears commenced demolition work on Arlington International Racecourse after finalising a deal to acquire 326 acres of property. However, a week later the team revealed that the racecourse was no longer its singular focus for a new stadium.
The Bears’ current home, Soldier Field, has a capacity of 61,500 and is the smallest stadium in the NFL, with the team’s current lease deal due to run until 2033. In April, the team unveiled plans to build a new fixed-roof stadium south of Soldier Field, with work slated to begin next summer.
The $3.2bn (£2.5bn/€3.1bn) project hit an initial stumbling block in May, with Illinois lawmakers delaying a decision on a public funding request for the scheme. The fixed-roof stadium near Soldier Field is not the only option on the table for the Bears, with the City of Aurora making its own pitch to the team back in June. Earlier this month, it emerged that the Bears were also considering the possibility of building a new stadium in Chicago on a site that used to house the Michael Reese Hospital.
The Arlington Heights site is now back on the agenda, with the Chicago Sun-Times reporting that an agreement has been reached between the team and the village over the Bears’ property tax bill.
In a statement reported by the Sun-Times, team officials admitted that the fixed-roof stadium near Soldier Field remains a priority.
“That being said, we remain significant landowners in Arlington Heights and establishing a framework for potential future development planning, financing and property tax certainty has been a priority since the land was purchased,” the statement added. “We continue to have productive conversations with the village and school districts and are aligned on a framework should we choose to explore a potential development.”
The deal has not been signed as it still requires approval from the village board, as well as representatives from local schools. Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes said he was “really optimistic” about the project but acknowledged that the Bears’ main focus is on the lakefront stadium south of Soldier Field.
According to the Sun-Times, the deal between the Bears and Arlington Heights will be announced next week. The Bears acquired the land for nearly $200m.
