Citing ‘significant progress,’ Bears focusing on Arlington Heights for stadium plan

Predictably and officially, the Bears have turned their stadium attention back to Arlington Heights.

Less than two months after the team switched its public messaging to reflect that their sole focus was no longer on building a downtown stadium, it went a step further Friday.

In a statement, the Bears said they were focused on building on the 326-acre property they own in Arlington Heights.

“Over the last few months, we have made significant progress with the leaders in Arlington Heights, and look forward to continuing to work with state and local leaders on making a transformative economic development project for the region a reality,” the team said in a statement.

At the NFL’s annual meeting in March 2024, president/CEO Kevin Warren said that building on the lakefront site adjacent to Soldier Field gave the team the “best opportunity for success.” A month later, they unveiled plans for the $4.7 billion museum campus project. It did not generate the financial momentum from state and local officials that the team had hoped.

The tonal change at the same annual meetings a year later, though, made it clear that the Bears consider Arlington Heights to be the best path forward.

“To have that beautiful piece of land that has the great topography — you can actually see downtown from there,” Warren said at the March meeting, which was held at The Breakers in Orlando. “To have the Salt Creek that runs in between it, it’s almost split equally from an acreage standpoint. And you think of the Metra spots — it has an Arlington Park location there.”

The Bears will ask for no public funding for the stadium itself in Arlington Heights, as opposed to the Lakefront property. Instead, they want public money to be used for infrastructure improvements in Arlington Heights.

A property tax certainty has made the former Arlington International Racecourse more attractive since the village board passed changes in December. The Bears have been careful to stress that an Arlington Heights deal isn’t yet a sure thing. Warren still wants to begin construction at some point this year.