Bears move on Arlington Heights venue plans

Article posted by Coliseum, February 21^st, 2023

Image: Chicago Bears

The National Football League (NFL) team Chicago Bears bought the property that they’ve been sizing up for a new enclosed stadium in suburban Arlington Heights in Illinois (US) on February 15^th.

‘NFL’ stated that the Bears announced that they paid $197.2 million for the 326-acre plot.

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago (US). The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s National Football Conference North Division.

The 61,500-capacity Soldier Field is a multipurpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It serves as the residence of the Chicago Bears.

‘NFL’ further stated that the team cautioned, however, that the purchase doesn’t mean plans for a new stadium and an entertainment district will come to fruition.

The Bears said in a statement, “There is still a tremendous amount of due diligence work to be done to determine if constructing an enclosed state-of-the-art stadium and multipurpose entertainment district is feasible.”

Soldier Field on Chicago’s lakefront has been the Bears’ home since 1971. The team played at the 41,649-capacity Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois (US) from 1921 to 1970, and if a new stadium is constructed, the franchise would have its name on the mortgage for the first time since arriving in Chicago.

Economic analysts have said building a Bears entertainment district would create more than 48,000 jobs and generate $9.4 billion for the local economy.

The statement said, “The Bears will continue to work closely alongside the Village of Arlington Heights, surrounding municipalities and their residents to solicit extensive feedback on how we can best benefit local communities and Bears fans across Illinois. This planning will include a robust diversity, equity and inclusion program that prioritizes local hiring throughout every stage of the development.”

The Bears envision restaurants, retail and more on the site of the shuttered Arlington International Racecourse some 30 miles Northwest of Soldier Field – all for about $5 billion, with some taxpayer help.

The Bears plan to pay for their stadium, but want taxpayer dollars to cover infrastructure costs such as roads and sewers.

The City of Chicago proposed last Summer enclosing the Soldier Field and increasing its capacity from a league-low 61,500. But the Bears have insisted the only possibilities they were considering were for the Arlington Heights site.

It will be up to the new Chicago Bears President and head honcho Kevin Warren to help the Bears’ vision for a new home become a reality. He was hired last month after spending three years as Commissioner of the Big Ten (college athletic conference in the United States).

Warren, who’s replacing the retiring Ted Phillips, worked in the NFL for more than two decades. He was part of Minnesota’s front office from 2005-2019, ascending to Chief Operating Officer in 2015, and played a big role in the NFL team Minnesota Vikings’ construction of the 73,000-capacity U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota (US).

The Bears see that stadium, which opened in 2016, as a model for their potential new home, with its translucent roof and massive glass panels letting in enough light and air to make fans feel as if they’re outdoors.

New York (US)-based the National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference.

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