Since the Chicago Bears hit a financial roadblock in their proposed move to Arlington Heights, other municipalities have been vying in a sort of roulette to attract — or in Chicago’s case, keep — the team.
Naperville, Rockford, Chicago and, most recently, Waukegan have placed themselves in the running to land the white whale of the NFL — though some officials concede the team may be using them for leverage in negotiations with Arlington Heights.
The franchise, a founding member of the league, valued at $5.8 billion by Forbes, is looking for a new home. Team officials hadn’t been planning an immediate move from Chicago’s Soldier Field until Arlington International Racecourse went for sale in 2021. They jumped at the chance and closed the deal to buy the property for $197 million this year.
But Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi raised the valuation of the 326-acre property to nearly the sale price, which would have quadrupled the taxes to about $16 million year. Local school districts recently agreed with former owner Churchill Downs Inc. to a tax of about half that much, but the Bears said it’s too much for a vacant property, and promptly began tearing down the majestic grandstand to lower the value.
After previously focusing solely on Arlington Heights, the team issued a statement that its plans to move there are “at risk,” and that it’s “no longer our singular focus.” Here is a quick rundown of where alternative sites stand.
The Bears have quickly had two meetings with city officials, after Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli wrote to invite the team to talk. The mayor said he’s had very preliminary discussions with Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren.
Wehrli has said he wants to develop underused properties along the Interstate 88 tollway, where the former BP Amoco site would be more than big enough at 187 acres.
If the Bears submit conceptual plans for a stadium, city officials said they would be thoroughly reviewed and receive public comment before any decision.
The response from Naperville City Council members has been cautious, with concerns raised about traffic and safety. Councilman Ian Holzhauer said he doesn’t plan to gamble away Naperville’s reputation as the best place to raise a family.
Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor wrote a letter Monday to Warren, proposing that the Bears build a new stadium on lakefront property.
Several locations Taylor cited have the space for a stadium and entertainment area with access to Interstate 94, U.S. Route 41 and public transportation. The Bears already train in Lake Forest, 9 miles south of Waukegan. The Bears did not immediately respond publicly to the invitation.
The main difference between Arlington Heights and the other sites, of course, is that the Bears own property there. The site is big enough for a stadium and a huge proposed housing and entertainment complex. It has a Metra train station and is next to Route 53, not far from the I-90 tollway.
Village officials generally have welcomed the proposal, while saying they’ll have to address traffic concerns and analyze the deal to make sure it’s a net financial gain for the area. But the Bears demand that their property taxes be set in advance, and they want taxpayer help building infrastructure like roads and utilities. The team said the local schools’ proposal for property taxes on the site has left them at a standstill.
A poll last year by the libertarian Americans for Prosperity-Illinois, a group founded by the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, found that most of the 300 registered voters questioned wanted the Bears to come there, but didn’t want to pay taxes for it.
Americans for Prosperity submitted a petition for a referendum on the issue, but the Village Board rejected it. The group still hopes to get the question on the ballot.
Local state lawmakers proposed letting the team negotiate taxes as part of a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program, but it went nowhere in Springfield. Another proposal to split the stadium revenues with surrounding suburbs and have the fans pay $3 a ticket to help pay off outstanding debt for the Bears’ current home at Soldier Field in Chicago also gained no traction.
State Rep. Dave Vella, a Democrat from Rockford, told the Tribune he’d like his city to have a chance at bringing the Bears there.
While acknowledging that Rockford is 90 miles from Chicago, he touted Rockford’s transportation development and how that could be used at Bears fans’ convenience.
“Rockford is right on I-90. We have the fastest-run cargo airport. We have passenger rail coming soon. We have tons of space. I think it’s the perfect location for the Bears,” Vella said. “Let’s put a pitch in too.
“I always say Rockford is an uncut gem. And good things are happening in Rockford right now,” he said. “Just getting the Bears to jump on board would be a great thing for them and a great thing for us.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson said he wanted to keep the team in the city and met with Warren last week about what they called their shared commitment to the city.
The two released this vague joint statement: “Today we met and discussed our shared values and commitment to the City of Chicago, the importance of deep roots and the need for equitable community investment throughout the city. We are both committed to the idea that the city and its major civic institutions must grow and evolve together to meet the needs of the future. We look forward to continuing the dialogue around these shared values.”
Johnson didn’t offer any specifics, but the mayor said it’s important to have conversations to keep the Bears “shuffling” in Chicago, a reference to the team’s only Super Bowl win, in 1986.
As for the Bears, they issued the following statement on June 2, the day of their first meeting with Naperville:
“We will continue the ongoing demolition activity and work toward a path forward in Arlington Heights, but it is no longer our singular focus,” team officials wrote. “It is our responsibility to listen to other municipalities in Chicagoland about potential locations that can deliver on this transformational opportunity for our fans, our club and the state of Illinois.”
Chicago Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed.
