It is Illinois versus Indiana in the race to build a Bears stadium.
If the stadium game was a tennis match, now would be the time for Illinois to serve. The Illinois legislature returns to work on April 7th and the lawmakers know this. Indiana legislators are willing to put up money to build a 21st century state-of-the-art football venue for the owners of the National Football League’s Chicago Bears franchise. The preferred Indiana location is Hammond, which is about 30 miles south of Chicago. Hammond had one of the NFL’s original teams when the league was founded in 1920. There weren’t many league games actually played in Hammond as the Hammond Pros football team played as a travelling squad. The franchise lasted until 1926.
The Illinois legislature may have a chance to upend the Indiana bid. The Bears ownership is looking for money from Illinois legislators to build a football stadium-village in Arlington Heights. The Bears’ ownership bought the Arlington Park racetrack property in the Chicago suburb in February 2023 for $197 million. Bears’ ownership was set to build a stadium-village in town but then came the property tax bill. Bears’ ownership was alarmed with the tab and decided Chicago was a better option. In April 2024, Bears’ ownership unveiled a plan to build a domed lakefront stadium but that never materialized. The McCaskey family, the owners of the football business, claimed they were willing to throw in about $2 billion to help finance the Arlington Heights venture but they also said they needed public support. Illinois lawmakers have introduced a bill would allow any developer of “mega projects” that have a more than $500 million investment, to negotiate property taxes directly with local governments for up to 40 years. The proposal moved out of an Illinois House committee in February, but has not yet been advanced for a full floor vote.
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