‘Megaprojects’ vote boost for Chicago Bears stadium plans

Article posted by Coliseum, May 8^th, 2026

Image: Soldier Field, Johnmaxmena2, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Chicago Bears stadium plans for Arlington Heights have been boosted after the Illinois House of Representatives approved a ‘megaprojects’ bill.

WTTW News said the measure, which passed 78-32, is ostensibly a step toward keeping the Bears from moving to Indiana.

The ‘megaprojects’ bill would give the Bears long-term property tax certainty for a proposed $5 billion domed stadium and entertainment district at the former Arlington Park horse racing site in Arlington Heights.

The bill has already passed the Illinois House and is now before the Senate. The team said in a statement after the Illinois House vote that they “welcome the progress,” but will need more changes.

The statement said, “Additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project.”

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The 61,500-capacity Soldier Field serves as their home ground.

The Bears said late last year that they were looking at different options for a site for their new stadium development despite earlier heralding suburban Arlington Heights as the only venue for the build project.

Bears CEO and President Kevin Warren wrote an open letter to fans saying that the search for a new domed stadium site had been expanded to the wider Chicagoland region, including northwest Indiana.

The Bears own 326 acres in Arlington Heights but want the ability to negotiate the property tax rates and public funding for infrastructure.

The Senate is now working on changes to the megaprojects bill that would provide tax breaks for the Bears and clear the way for them to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

State Sen. Bill Cunningham said, “As a Chicago legislator, I want to see the Bears stay in Chicago, but we can’t force the Bears to play where they don’t want to play. And given the option between Arlington Heights and Hammond … I would prefer the Bears play in Arlington Heights.

“So one of the things we might look at is trying to see if that property tax relief could be better targeted at a smaller geographic area or more targeted towards people who most need property tax relief. Those are the things that we’re examining right now in the Senate.”

The team also appears to be getting pressure from the NFL to decide on a site for their future new domed stadium.

Governor Pritzker has also been turning up the pressure on lawmakers, saying that he’d like them “to move faster” and get the bill done ahead of its May 31 adjournment.

Unlike Indiana, Illinois’ deal would not fund direct stadium construction but would allow the Bears to negotiate their property tax bill with surrounding taxing bodies for up to 40 years.

The ‘megaproject’ designation is not Bears-specific and would be available for all large developments on a tiered basis based on meeting certain levels of financial investment.

The core of the bill is a provision that allows the Bears or other ‘megaproject’ developers to negotiate a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, with local taxing bodies.

Developments would qualify for megaproject status with an investment of at least $100 million. Projects at that level could lock in property tax payments for up to 25 years.

The Bears have said they plan to share an update on their new stadium plans by late spring or early summer.

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