The Chicago Bears are keeping to their current timeline for selecting a site for a new stadium despite legislative uncertainty around the project.
AP said that lawmakers ended their spring session with no decision on incentives for the NFL team to build its new home in Illinois.
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 currently serves as their home ground.
In a statement, the Bears said they are still considering Arlington Heights for their future stadium project.
They said, “We will finalize our evaluation of both Arlington Heights and Hammond, and remain on the late spring/early summer timeline that we have previously communicated. We will provide an update when we have a decision to share.”
Mayor Jim Tinaglia said, “Although we recognize that these discussions are complex and involve many stakeholders, this is clearly a fumble for the State of Illinois.
“My commitment to the residents and businesses of Arlington Heights is unwavering, and we will continue to represent the interests of our community as future opportunities and next steps are considered.
“The Village remains committed to thoughtful planning, community engagement, and responsible evaluation and discussions of future redevelopment proposals with the Chicago Bears and stakeholders related to the Arlington Park property.”
The Bears’ lease for Soldier Field runs through 2033, but the team can pay a fee to break the lease early.
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 as much as $855 million in public funding for infrastructure.
At the same time they began to take a closer look at possible options in northwest Indiana.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun and state lawmakers jumped on the Bears’ interest.
A state House of Representatives committee passed a bill in February that established a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium.
The team said it was doing its due diligence on a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana.
The Bears said on May 21 that Hammond and Arlington Heights were the only sites under consideration, but some Illinois state lawmakers have kept pushing for a plan that they hoped would make Chicago part of the conversation once again.
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