Edison Park businesses see Bears' potential stadium in Arlington Heights as boost

Bears heading to Arlington Heights could give businesses a big boost

With that possibility of the Bears going to Arlington Heights, there are some areas of the city that see it as an economic boost. Bret Buganski is live in Edison Park.

CHICAGO - There are some business owners in Edison Park who see a potential new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights as an economic boost.

What we know:

Illinois lawmakers approved the so-called "mega projects" bill, which would allow the Bears to get a break on their property taxes to build a stadium. Some estimate this multi-billion-dollar project would generate thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact.

Located on the far northwest side of the city, Edison Park is home to dozens of businesses, including several bars and restaurants. These businesses are steps away from the Edison Park Metra stop. There are six stops between Edison Park to Arlington Park, and the ride takes about 25 minutes.

Fox Chicago confirmed with Metra that a potential Bears move to Arlington Heights, at the former Arlington Park Racetrack, would impact service.

In a statement to Fox Chicago, Metra's communications director, Michael Gillis, said:

"We have thought about the potential impact, and we would look to add service to the UP Northwest Line should the Bears end up in Arlington Heights. What that service would look like is not yet defined, but it would likely involve a combination of express and local trains to and from the area. We have not, however, done any station-by-station analysis so I could not tell you what potential impact there could be at Edison Park or any other station on the line."

Economic impact to Edison Park

Fox Chicago spoke with John Capesius, the owner of Tavern On The Point, who opened his business on Northwest Highway during the pandemic. He remembers the tunnels and roadblocks during that difficult time period just opening.

"Any good joint needs a few years of longevity behind them to get their legs underneath them, and you know have that foundation right they get the word out," said Capesius. "Well, we didn't have that."

"It's important because Edison Park is very special, it's unique, we're the last city neighborhood in the city," said Amanda Harres, Edison Park Chamber of Commerce, executive director. "We borderline two suburbs, a lot of the suburbs take our business, so having more people exposed to Edison Park and seeing its greatness is just so important."

Harres told us Edison Park lost six businesses during the pandemic, but it's starting to see a resurgence in recent years, with 13 new businesses that opened. Harres and others around the Edison Park business community are watching lawmakers debate and vote on the 'mega projects' bill.

"I absolutely loved Arlington Park man," said Capesius. "It was just a beautiful Sunday, even with the family, the kids you take them out there it's beautiful, right? Imagine what they're going to do here now."

Capesius remembers the days of hundreds of people meeting in Edison Park to eat, drink and spend money on their way to the former Arlington Park Racetrack. One of the big nights of business was when the park would host a 'party in the park.' When that happened, they would hop on a Metra train to the park and then would come back to Edison Park and spend more money. We asked him about the possibility of the Bears building a new stadium at the former track.

"I imagine madness, especially with the Bears doing well. I mean, this year alone, we're attesting a portion of that incline we're on here, revenue-wise, on the Bears to win so well. When you have a team in your area, your municipality, whatever it might be, you're going to get a lot of people out to support them. And if they're winning, it's that much more fun," said Capesius.

"Our small businesses need it. They only survive on people coming to Edison Park, right? Let's be honest, these are small businesses. There's no commercial here. So this would be astronomically amazing for our small business owners," said Harres. "Most of them have been here 20 plus years. They appreciate our local residents, but let's bring some new blood to the neighborhood and see how great Edison Park is."