The Chicago Bears are now looking at additional stadium options outside of Arlington Heights. Team officials met with Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli on Friday to discuss possible options for a new stadium in the suburban city while demolition work on the Arlington Park property continues to take place.
In a statement released by Scott Hagel, senior vice president of marketing and communications, via NBC Sports Chicago the Bears say they’re looking at additional options outside of Arlington Heights.
“The Chicago Bears goal of building the largest single development project in Illinois history led by billions of dollars in private capital investment, and the jobs and economic benefits generated, is at risk in Arlington Heights. The stadium-based project remains broadly popular in Arlington Heights, Chicagoland and the state. However, the property’s original assessment at five times the 2021 tax value, and the recent settlement with Churchill Downs for 2022 being three times higher, fails to reflect the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state. We will continue the ongoing demolition activity and work toward a path forward in Arlington Heights, but it is no longer our singular focus. 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.”
According to Kevin Schmit of the Daily Herald, the meeting comes a little over a week after Wehrli contacted Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren about offering up Naperville as an option for the team’s new stadium. The two met on Friday to discuss the possibility.
The Bears entered into an agreement to purchase the Arlington Park property back in September 2021 for approximately $197.2 million. A year later, team officials unveiled their vision for a mixed-use entertainment complex that would include a domed stadium on the 326 acres of land and move the team out of Soldier Field.
The team closed on the property earlier this year and demolition on certain structures from the former racetrack began this past week. But with uncertainties such as Cook County’s high property assessment and public funding for the land development outside of the actual stadium, Warren wants to consider other options.
While the Bears have flirted with other suburban options outside of Arlington Heights decades earlier, their statement on Friday is the first time they have publicly entertained other options since they agreed to purchase the land. When former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed upgrading Soldier Field last summer, the Bears maintained their focus in closing on the Arlington Park property. But due to the risks, the team is doing their due diligence.
Naperville is the fourth-largest city in Illinois, just west of Chicago. The city is outside of Cook County and can be accessed via multiple interstates and railway routes. It is unclear where in the city the Bears might be considering for a stadium site.
