Stadiums
Chicago Bears Seek $855M in Public Funds for Infrastructure at Proposed Stadium
The Chicago Bears plan to fund the $2 billion stadium themselves
The Chicago Bears will seek $855 million in public funding to pay for infrastructure at a $2-billion stadium they plan to build in northwest suburban Arlington Heights, Ill.
The Chicago Bears are seeking $855.2 million in public funding to cover the infrastructure costs associated with a new stadium to be built on a former horse racing track in Arlington Heights, Ill., about 25 miles northwest of their current location at Soldier Field in Chicago's Grant Park.
The request by the National Football League franchise team is contained in a report released Oct.1 and prepared by the real estate consulting firm HR&A Advisors. It outlines expected costs and revenues related to the new stadium that the team wants to build to attract Super Bowls, college national football national championships and other premium events.
The Bears have committed to paying the $2 billion cost of the stadium itself, which, along with an adjoining mixed-use district development, would represent a total capital investment of more than $5 billion. According to the report, the project is expected to create 56,600 construction jobs across the state.
A general contractor has not yet been named for the stadium. The architect is Kansas City-based Manica Architecture. Hart Howerton, headquartered in New York City and San Francisco, isdeveloping a master plan for a surrounding mixed-use district that would feature retail, restaurants, housing, a hotel,and parkland.
Recently released renderings for the proposed stadium show a fixed-roof, domed stadium with seating for 65,000 to 70,000 fans. The plans also call for public transit train access, expanded parking and new infrastructure to improve access and tailgating. Chicago's Metra suburban commuter rail system already went to the former Arlington Park horse racing track on the site.
The Chicago Bears have released renderings of a proposed $2 billion stadium in Arlington Heights.
Rendering courtesy of Manica Architecture
The report estimates that the redevelopment would generate gross public revenue over 40 years of nearly $2.28 billion, which would be distributed to local, county, and state jurisdictions, excluding property taxes.
"Adding a state-of-the-art enclosed facility capable of hosting events year-round, surrounded by a vibrant mixed-use district, and connected to America’s 3rd largest city will dramatically elevate Chicagoland’s sports and entertainment scene," the report states.
The plan calls for redeveloping a 326-acre tract, which "is one of the last large-scale, assembled transit-oriented development opportunities in the region," according to the report.
The Bears confirmed in September that they intend to move forward with building a new stadium outside of Chicago and hope to start construction in 2026.
The team can't start building the stadium until they get approval from the state legislature on a “mega project” bill that would enable the Bears and other developers of projects in the $100-million to $500-million range to negotiate property tax levels with local municipalities, rather than paying an annual rate based on the property's assessed value.
The bill languished in the spring and will be harder to pass in the fall veto session, which requires a three-fifths majority for all bills, and is scheduled for Oct. 14.
Crain’s Chicago Business reported in 2024 that the Bears still owe about $620 million for the last Soldier Field rebuild in 2003, which may hinder plans for a new stadium.
"We need to make sure that the taxpayers are not burdened by the debt that was put on the building of [Solider Field] stadium, if we are then going to go and support more funding for anything to do with the next stadium," Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said at an unrelated event on Oct. 2.
A Super Bowl hosted in Arlington Heights would generate over $230 million in economic activity across Chicago and generate over $7.2 million in fiscal revenues for the City of Chicago, according to the report.
