As the Chicago Bears continue to face massive hurdles in Springfield over plans to build a domed stadium next to Soldier Field, the team said Monday it has reached an agreement over property taxes for the acres of land it owns in Arlington Heights that has tripped up plans to build a new stadium in the northwest suburb.
Team officials said they had agreed on a memorandum of understanding involving the amount of taxes to be paid for the former site of the Arlington International Racecourse. The village and local school boards still need to approve the agreement, which could happen next month. We continue to have productive conversations with the village and school districts and are aligned on a framework should we choose to explore a potential development. Details of the deal were not released Monday. It outlines a more clear path forward.
In addition to the site next to Soldier Field and the Arlington Heights property, which the team purchased last year, another site the Bears are looking at is the land once occupied by Michael Reese Hospital in Bronzeville near Lake Michigan. Chicago Bears and Soldier Field: What to know about the possible stadium move β or transformation.
All sides are ready to pursue the opportunity when the Bears turn back in our direction. We look forward to future conversations. JB Pritzker and legislative leaders have thrown cold water on the idea , saying the state has priorities other than providing major funding to a private business. Both the lakefront and Arlington Heights plans would involve public dollars, something lawmakers have been cool on for both sites. But some northwest suburban state lawmakers said the recent developments were encouraging.
Democratic state Sen. Team officials have said they would need public funding to help pay for infrastructure such as new expressway ramps for the Arlington Heights site.
