Jan 17, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, US; New Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren speaks during the press conference at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
So we thought it was a done deal…The Bear were going to Arlington Park. They bought the old race track property of nearly 200 million dollars, they’re in the process of tearing it down. They’ve done some design work. It was supposed to be done. But not so fast!
According to the Daily Herald, Naperville met with Bears President Kevin Warren today to discuss bringing the Bears into the town. The Bears released this statement:
“We will continue the ongoing demolition activity and work toward a path forward in Arlington Heights, but it is no longer our singular focus,” Scott Hagel, the Bears senior vice president of marketing and communications said in a statement. “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.”
So maybe it’s not a done deal. Arlington Heights is still waiting on more detailed plans from the Bears on the stadium project. There was no mention of what land would be used, although the article says that Naperville does not possess a parcel big enough for the stadium, it would most likely need to redevelop some land to make the deal happen. But this could be a leverage move by Warren. Pro Football Talk has a story out that the tax assessment for the land in Arlington heights has become a problem for the club. Now, all the sudden, you start to see why leaving the county might have to be an option for the Bears.
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