Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren wanted shovels in the ground to begin construction on a new stadium by the end of 2025. It appears construction won’t begin until at least 2026, as the Bears remain in purgatory with local and state government.
The Bears recently turned over feasibility studies to Arlington Heights. The team has met with representatives of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office about he stadium project, though Pritzker remains skeptical of helping build the stadium unless the state receives something substantial in return.
The Illinois government isn’t giving the Chicago Bears stadium money
Saturday was a key deadline for the Bears’ hopes of starting construction this year, as the legislative session ended Saturday. Per Alex Ortiz of Fox 32, lawmakers passed a $55 billion budget with new taxes, but the plan did not include funding for the new stadium.
“The final budget plan was passed without some key issues addressed, including added funding to prevent a fiscal cliff facing the region’s public transit agencies and funding for a new Bears stadium,” Ortiz wrote.
Better luck on the Bears’ stadium next year
Per Robert McCoppin of the Chicago Tribune, a memorandum the Bears agreed to with School Districts 15, 211, and 214 set current property taxes for the Arlington Heights location and made the process clear for further development.
The agreement set the property tax on the site at $3.6 million a year through 2027,” McCoppin wrote. If the Bears apply for construction and operation of an NFL stadium by the end of 2027, the property tax would extend through 2030, or until construction starts.
“Most importantly, the memorandum calls for creation of a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, district for the area. Such an arrangement would require state lawmakers’ approval, which the parties agreed to seek. With the spring legislative session scheduled to end Saturday, time is running out to do so immediately, which would be necessary to meet Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren’s goal to begin construction this year.”
