Illinois lawmakers advance bill eyed by Chicago Bears for new stadium project
Illinois lawmakers advance Bears bill, what's next?
As debate intensifies over a new home for the Chicago Bears, lawmakers in Illinois and Indiana are advancing rival stadium proposals, setting up a high-stakes showdown over where the franchise will land.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois state lawmakers have advanced a bill that the Chicago Bears insist is necessary to build a new domed stadium in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.
What we know:
The so-called "mega project" bill gives developers of large projects, like a new stadium, the ability to save on property taxes by making a "payment in lieu of taxes" to local governments.
The bill, HB 2789, was discussed Thursday by state lawmakers on the Illinois House Revenue & Finance Committee. The bill still needs full approval by the House and Senate, and to be signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
The Bears and supporters of the Arlington Heights stadium plans have argued that "tax predictability" is essential for the investment of around $2 billion to build the stadium.
Critics have argued that a franchise valued at more than $8 billion should not get a break on property taxes that go to fund local schools and other agencies.
A digital billboard advertising the Chicago Bears is seen near the practice track of the former Arlington International Racetrack, near Route 53 and Northwest Highway, on June 25, 2024, in Arlington Heights, Illinois. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/
The team purchased the 326-acre Arlington Park property a few years ago in hopes of developing a 60,000-seat stadium with a mixed-use development. While the team pledged to pay for the construction of the stadium, they would also ask for about $855 million in infrastructure costs related to the project.
Studies have found the final stadium project could net the Village of Arlington Heights millions of dollars in new tax revenue.
Dueling stadium efforts
The backstory:
The timing of the movement in Springfield is also significant, as state lawmakers in Indiana are simultaneously moving ahead with their own legislation to establish funding mechanisms for the Bears to build a new stadium in Hammond.
The Indiana House of Representatives passed that bill on Tuesday, which will still need final approval from the Indiana Senate and Gov. Mike Braun, who has voiced support for efforts to lure the Bears out of Illinois.
The seemingly open competition to be the next home of the Bears came after Illinois state lawmakers didn’t take up the mega projects bill last year. State officials said they were more concerned about other priorities, like rescuing the Chicago region’s transit system from a fiscal cliff.
Then, late last year, Bears President Kevin Warren said the team was opening up its options for a new stadium home, including outside of Illinois. Braun said Indiana identified a promising site for a new stadium near Wolf Lake in Hammond.
The team has not openly committed to where it’s leaning. Team officials have praised the Indiana bill as "the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date," earlier this month, although Arlington Heights officials have said the Bears reassured them that a final decision had not been made.