Arlington Heights takes ‘significant’ step toward Bears stadium, taps consultant
Bears to the suburbs? Chicago mayor speaks out as Arlington Heights becomes focus for new stadium
Arlington Heights will retain a consulting firm to vet any economic impact studies by the Chicago Bears on a potential new stadium.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - The Arlington Heights Village Board voted on Monday to retain a real estate consulting firm to vet any economic impact studies by the Chicago Bears on potentially building a new stadium in the northwest suburb.
The board voted unanimously to approve the deal with the consultant.
‘A significant milestone’
What we know:
a significant milestoneSuch studies are important to understand the amount of revenue and other economic benefits that a new stadium would bring to Arlington Heights and what the project would ultimately cost, according to Village Manager Randall Recklaus.
The Chicago-based consulting firm, Hunden Strategic Partners Inc., will evaluate and vet the studies done by the Bears organization on the project. The village will pay $200,000 to the firm and will be reimbursed for those expenses by the Bears, officials said.
"The Bears have agreed to work together with our consultant to make sure that the numbers are accurate and they can come to kind of a meeting of the minds in terms of the financial projections and economic impact," said Arlington Heights outgoing Mayor Tom Hayes. "And so we're very much looking forward to that collaboration with the team."
An aerial photo looking east at the former Arlington International Racecourse on March 12, 2024, in Arlington Heights, Illinois. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Studies on the economic impact of a new stadium in Arlington Heights started back in 2022, but were stopped amid a disagreement over property taxes for the site. Since then, the property tax issue has been resolved and the studies have resumed.
Recklaus said the village has received draft preliminary traffic and economic impact studies for a future stadium, so the village can now review those.
What they're saying:
He highlighted how important a step the reviews are in the process of potentially attracting the Bears out of Chicago.
"This is obviously a significant milestone in the project, and therefore it’s now necessary to reengage with our consulting team so that all this information can be properly vetted and evaluated," Recklaus said.
He added that the review of the draft studies will take "several weeks" and if the project moves forward, the final studies and plans will be revealed to the public before the village board votes for approval.
"While the village continues to work with the team on these issues, it’s important to stress that there’s still much work to do to determine if an NFL stadium, sports entertainment district is feasible, desirable, and would be beneficial to the community on this site," Recklaus said.
Bears to the suburbs? Panel weighs odds that team leaves Chicago
FOX 32's Paris Schutz sits down with a panel of experts to discuss the Chicago Bears moving to Arlington Heights.
What about Chicago?
The other side:
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he refuses to be pitted against Arlington Heights in the battle over where the Bears' new stadium will be located.
Johnson has said he still advocates for a lakefront plan, which would likely face a lawsuit for violating a Lakefront Protection Ordinance.
"At the end of the day, the Bears, their ownership, have a financial decision that they'll have to make," Johnson said on Tuesday. "I feel good about what's been presented in the City of Chicago and we're gonna continue to work with ownership. We're gonna work with the General Assembly to find a way to keep the Bears in the City of Chicago."
Part of that financial decision has to do with what kind of public money the team can get to help them with their development. State lawmakers have all but shut the door on financing for a new lakefront stadium.
State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), who represents the district where Soldier Field is located, said the team will be hard-pressed to get any help for an Arlington Heights development.
"What I can tell you is that there are 30 members of the Chicago delegation in the House and and 14 in the State Senate who would probably take umbrage with paying that type of state money for the team to leave the city," Buckner told Fox 32.