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02/19 12:19 CST Bears' potential move to Indiana takes step forward as effort
to build stadium in Illinois lingers
Bears' potential move to Indiana takes step forward as effort to build stadium
in Illinois lingers
By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- The Chicago Bears' potential move to Indiana took another step
forward on Thursday when a key committee approved a plan to create an agency
that would help get a stadium built.
The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee passed a bill
establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and
lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near
Wolf Lake in Hammond, Ind.
"The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our
stadium planning efforts to date," the team said in a statement. "We are
committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to
support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in
Hammond, Indiana."
Republican Gov. Mike Braun and lawmakers in Indiana have been aggressive in
trying to lure the founding NFL franchise across the state line amid a
yearslong effort to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois. The Bears did not
mention Illinois in their statement.
The Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a
hearing Thursday morning on a bill that would allow the Bears and any other
developer of a large enough project to negotiate long-term property tax rates
with local taxing bodies. But that got canceled.
"Illinois was ready to move this bill forward," Matt Hill, a spokesman for Gov.
JB Pritzker posted on X. "After a productive three-hour meeting yesterday, the
Bears leaders requested the (Illinois General Assembly) pause the hearing to
make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a
statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."
The Bears' focus for a new home had fluctuated between a tract of land they own
in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.
They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a
former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier
Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.
According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking
$855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium
in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears
were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill last October to
freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium
that would have allowed them to begin construction in 2025. But that didn't
happen.
In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington
Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were
finalizing the purchase of that site.
Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after
Kevin Warren was hired as president three years ago to replace the retiring Ted
Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago's Museum Campus got an enthusiastic
endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and
state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.
Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington
Heights, citing "significant progress" with local leaders.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium,
whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since then.
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