Mayor Richard Irvin has invited the Chicago Bears to consider relocating to Aurora.
In a letter from Irvin to the Bears’ organization, he touts Aurora’s history, location and track record of getting developments done. The letter comes on the heels of Bears General Manager Kevin Warren saying recently that the Bears are “in a position to start exploring other places and opportunities and no longer considers Arlington Heights as a singular focus.”
Clayton Muhammad, Aurora’s chief communications and equity officer, said in a press release Tuesday night that Aurora is “throwing its proverbial hat in the ring in the two-page letter” to the Bears.
Specifically, the letter points to the prospective $360 million Hollywood Casino Aurora resort, which the City Council approved plans for Tuesday night, the new development going on at the Fox Valley Mall, current construction of the Del Webb community and the redevelopments bringing housing units, restaurants and retail space to downtown.
It also points to Aurora’s location on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Metra commuter rail line, its access to Interstate 88 through four interchanges and the expanded Aurora Municipal Airport.
The letter ends with an invitation to the Bears to visit Aurora.
According to the press release, “upon receipt of the letter, representatives of the Chicago Bears organization responded quickly and positively.”
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Aurora’s invitation comes after a recent meeting the Bears had with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli and members of the Naperville city government earlier this month. Those conversations came after the Bears said their redevelopment plans for the former Arlington Race Track property in Arlington Heights were “at risk.”
It’s not the first time the Chicago Bears and Aurora have engaged in a flirtation.
In 1995, then Mayor David Pierce and several Aurora city and business officials flew up to Wisconsin to the Bears’ training camp to show a rendering of a proposed stadium on Aurora land, and present Aurora’s case to the Bears to locate to the far East Side of the city.
The proposal in 1995 was for a $285 million, 74,000-seat stadium for the Bears proposed for 207 acres northeast of Eola Road and I-88.
The Bears at the time actually had an option to buy the land, owned by Chicago investor James DeRose, Levy Organization Chairman Larry Levy and three pension funds through DuPage Property Ventures.
But it was not to be. The property is currently being developed into a large data center for a Fortune 100 company.
