ORLANDO, Fla. — Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren made one factor very clear Tuesday morning on the NFL house owners’ conferences: constructing a brand new stadium in Chicago on the lakefront is now the precedence for the crew — not Arlington Park.
“The plan might be to place a shovel within the floor on the lakefront,” Warren stated.
He stated a plan, together with renderings and video, might be launched within the close to future.
Regardless of the Bears’ $197.2 million buy of a 326-acre plot of land in suburban Arlington Heights, Warren stated the crew is concentrated on bringing a state-of-the-art stadium to Chicago. It could be positioned on the Waldron Deck and south car parking zone land. Soldier Discipline can be demolished, aside from the collonades, creating extra inexperienced area on the Museum Campus.
“I strongly consider that we’re constructing momentum to that museum space,” he stated.
“It’ll set this metropolis up for greatness for the following 100 years,” he stated. “When you return and have a look at the Daniel Burnham plan from 1932, you’re speaking a few imaginative and prescient. He set the imaginative and prescient for the World’s Honest. And all the things is in place. I feel the realm on the museum campus is probably the most stunning piece of property within the nation that we’ll be capable to construct a campus along with the museums, with the stadium, with the lake, with the downtown on the backdrop, and to have the ability to take pleasure in Chicago like we should always be capable to take pleasure in Chicago.”
Warren performed a serious function in serving to the Vikings construct U.S. Financial institution Stadium, a domed venue thought-about among the best within the NFL. He envisions one thing related for the Bears.
“Now we have a singular alternative to construct a world-class, fixed-roof stadium,” he stated, “To bid for the Tremendous Bowl, to bid for the Last 4, to bid for faculty occasions, to bid for live performance occasions, after which all the opposite mega occasions that come into city and the financial influence that this may have on our metropolis as a result of all the opposite infrastructure is in place.”
In September 2021, the Bears signed a purchase order settlement for the Arlington Park racecourse property. The thought was to construct a stadium and create a “mixed-use” space filled with eating places, bars and accommodations that present the franchise with extra income. The deal was finalized in February 2023 and the previous horse-racing monitor was demolished.
However the crew has turned its consideration again to Chicago as arguments with three faculty districts over actual property taxes for the Arlington Park land have stalled the suburban challenge. The Prepare dinner County Board of Assessment lately appraised the land at $125 million. The Bears have argued it must be valued at $60 million. An attraction by the Bears is probably going.
“We’re the most important landowner in Arlington Heights proper now: 326 acres,” Warren stated. “We personal a fantastic piece of land. And I’ve nice respect for Mayor (Thomas) Hayes and Randy Recklaus and the entire politicians there. My perception proper now, these initiatives are extremely troublesome. And simply studying the varied issues that I did in Minnesota, you need to be laser-focused. And proper now, we’re placing our power to downtown Chicago, to the museum campus, simply from an power and useful resource standpoint. So we nonetheless personal the land. We’re the most important landowner. We’ll keep in communication with Arlington Heights, however the focus now needs to be on Chicago to provide us the perfect alternative for achievement.”
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(Photograph: Adam Jahns / The Athletic)