Sports
Chicago Bears To Unveil New Stadium Plans
The meeting will center around the potential for "one of the largest development projects in Illinois state history," according to the team.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Saying it would be "one of the largest development projects in Illinois state history," the Chicago Bears will discuss the National Football League team's future plans for the Arlington Park property next week at an informational community meeting in Arlington Heights. The Bears said the meeting will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at John Hersey High School's gymnasium (1900 E. Thomas St.).
"It's an important and exciting next step in the process," Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes told Patch via email.
Attendees will be admitted first come, first served until capacity is reached, according to the Bears. School parking lots are scheduled to open at 5 p.m. and doors open at 5:30 p.m. Guests will not be allowed on campus prior to 5 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"The meeting will include opening remarks from team leadership and conceptual plans for a transit-oriented mixed-use entertainment district anchored by a stadium," the Bears said in social media posts shared by the Village of Arlington Heights.
The meeting news comes as the Bears announced Friday that Ted Phillips, team president and chief executive officer, will retire following the upcoming NFL season. Phillips has been with the team for nearly 40 years and has been a key player in the Bears' moving plans.
Find out what's happening in Arlington Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The Bears signed a $197 million purchase agreement for the former Arlington International Racecourse site in September 2021. Since then, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and city officials announced their intentions to convince the team to stay at its current home at Soldier Field for a cost between $900,000 and $2.2 billion. Patch reported in July that the renovation of the nearly century-old stadium on Chicago's lakefront could include adding a dome.
Regarding the Bears' interest in moving to Arlington Heights, Lightfoot said building a new stadium on the former horse racing oval from scratch would increase the price tag by at least $1 billion to $1. 5 billion. She hopes the extra cost will incentive the Bears to reconsider any decision to leave Chicago.
Soldier Field, which opened in 1924, is the NFL's oldest stadium. The Bears began playing there in 1971 after leaving Wrigley Field. It has a football game capacity of 61,500 fans.
Last month, a survey commissioned by Americans for Prosperity Illinois and conducted by ARW Strategies, found that 72 percent of Arlington Heights voters support the Bears' plan to build a new stadium in the village, but 68 percent disapprove of paying for it with taxpayer dollars. According to AFP-IL, a group founded by conservative billionaires Charles Koch and David Koch, 300 registered voters participated in the survey between Aug. 14-15.
In addition, the survey found divided results (47.8 percent concerned, 47.5 percent unconcerned) regarding the impact of building a new stadium in Arlington Heights would have on local traffic congestion.
In March, the Bears hired Kansas City-based Manica Architecture to assist in the conceptual design process for a new stadium at Arlington. The company, formed in 2007, specializes in designing sports and entertainment facilities in the United States and around the world.
In 2020, the $2 billion Manica-designed Allegiant Stadium opened in Las Vegas, home of the NFL's Raiders, as well as the University of Las Vegas football team and host of the Las Vegas Bowl. Other major projects to the company's credit include the Chase Center in San Francisco for NBA's Golden State Warriors (2019) and the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Doha, Qatar, host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Bears called next week's meeting in Arlington Heights "informational only" and stressed that it should not be confused with any official public meetings hosted by the Village of Arlington Heights.
"If the project were to move forward, all required public meetings will take place at later dates," the Bears said at the conclusion of Thursday's statement.
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