Bears' Arlington Heights Development Plans 'At Risk', Team Says

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Ever since the Chicago Bears made it clear they planned to focus on calling the suburbs home rather than the city’s Lakefront where they have played for years, Arlington Heights was always the clear landing spot.

However, as demolition begins on Arlington Park, where the Bears closed on a $197.2 million property agreement with sites on developing more than 300 acres for a new stadium, other options —namely Naperville —has entered the discussion.

The Bears released a statement on Friday saying that Arlington Heights is “no longer our singular focus,” Bears officials said. The team's statement said that the Bears' "goal of building the largest single development project in Illinois history...is at risk in Arlington Heights."

The team said that the stadium-based project remains "broadly popular" in Arlington Heights, the greater Chicago area, and across Illinois. But the statement said that the Arlington Park original assessment at five times the 2021 tax value and the recent settlement with Churchill Downs for 2022 being three times higher "fails to reflect the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state."

This week, Arlington Heights school district officials reached an agreement with Churchill Downs for a revised market value for the land at $95 million, officials announced.

In response to Friday's announcement, Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said that the village has always expected the team to consider "any and all" viable options for a new stadium site as part of their "due diligence" process.

"However, the former Arlington International Racecourse site is a unique one-of-a-kind location" officials, citing the property's close proximity to O'Hare Airport, I-90, and Route 53 as well as a dedicated Metra stop.

Hayes said that he believes Arlington Heights is still the team's best option for a new stadium site and said that the village is committed to working with the team and other stakeholders to continue to explore the possible redevelopment of the property.

"We think that Arlington Park is the best option for the new Bears home for the next 50 years or more," Hayes told Patch in an email on Friday.

RELATED: Property Tax Agreement Reached At Arlington Park: Board Of Review

New Bears President Kevin Warren met with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli to discuss the option of building a new stadium in Naperville rather than in Arlington Heights, Naperville city officials confirmed to Patch on Friday.

In a letter sent to Warren last week, Wehrli wrote that he wished to “formally introduce our community to your organization as you consider or reassess your planned relocation. He added that the city would welcome the opportunity to “review your business needs and our available properties.”

The letter pitched the city’s access to interstates and to Metra stops, both of which the mayor said, could make Naperville a viable option for the Bears should they not go with their original plan.

“We have several available or to-be-available sites that may fit the characteristics you are looking for in your future home,” Wehrli wrote last week.

Friday’s meeting takes place in the same week when the Bears began demolition at Arlington Park, which, until Friday, had been the sole target of the Bears for a new stadium. After closing on the former racetrack property earlier this year, Bears officials said that there was still a long road toward deciding whether they would develop the property and build a new stadium on the 326-acre site.

Arlington Heights officials have passed along similar messages, indicating that there was still a lot to be accomplished in determining if the Bears would truly land there. But after months of saying that the Bears were only focused on Arlington Heights, Friday’s announcement indicated that they are clearly considering other suitors.

The Bears indicated Friday that they will continue demolition at Arlington Park and will "work toward a path" in Arlington Heights, but said that other options are now in play.

“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,” the team's statement said.