Bears seek $855 million in public funding for infrastructure to build suburban stadium

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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build an enclosed stadium in the suburbs that could also host Super Bowls and Final Fours, according to a team consultant report released on Tuesday.

Though the Bears have said they plan to pay for the stadium itself, they are seeking assistance to help complete the project.

The report by real estate consulting firm HR&A Advisors Inc. says the $855 million would “set the stage” for a mixed-use development anchored by a stadium on a 326-acre tract of land in Arlington Heights that the team owns. That would cover costs for roads, sewers and changes to an adjacent commuter rail line.

In a letter to fans three weeks ago, team president Kevin Warren said “this is the year” to finalize plans so the team could bid to host a Super Bowl “as soon as 2031.” He said the stadium would “require zero state money for construction,” but the team would need the legislature to pass a bill in October to start construction this year.

That bill would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium. Warren maintains the bill could help create 56,000 jobs during construction and 9,000 permanent jobs.

The Bears’ focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the city, and then back to the suburb.

In September 2022, they unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30 miles from Soldier Field. Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Warren was hired as president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago’s Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.

Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing “significant progress” with local leaders.

Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since then.

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