{"id":63212,"date":"2022-09-01T22:20:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T22:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/chicago-bears-to-present-plans-for-arlington-heights-stadium\/"},"modified":"2022-09-01T22:20:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T22:20:07","slug":"chicago-bears-to-present-plans-for-arlington-heights-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/chicago-bears-to-present-plans-for-arlington-heights-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears to present plans for Arlington Heights stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Taking the next step toward building a new stadium, the Chicago Bears Thursday announced an informational community meeting to discuss the potential purchase and development of Arlington International Racecourse.<\/p>\n

Team officials in a statement said they’ll present conceptual plans for a transit-oriented, mixed-use entertainment district anchored by a stadium in Arlington Heights that would be one of the largest development projects in Illinois history.<\/p>\n

The meeting is scheduled for 7 to 9 pm Thursday, Sept. 8, in the gym at Hersey High School, 1900 E. Thomas St. in Arlington Heights.<\/p>\n

Anticipating a large crowd, seats will be available on a first come, first served basis. The parking lots will open at 5 pm, with doors opening at 5:30 pm<\/p>\n

The meeting is informational only. If the project were to move forward, the team stated, all required public meetings would take place later before Arlington Heights officials.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0<\/span>[Don\u2019t miss] Will the Chicago Bears leave Soldier Field? Here’s what to know about the team’s possible move to Arlington Heights. ]<\/span><\/p>\n

The announcement is in line with statements by Mayor Tom Hayes that the village will likely begin holding meetings this fall to discuss the proposal.<\/p>\n

Last year, the team and track owner Churchill Downs Inc. announced an agreement for the Bears to buy the 326-acre racetrack site for $197 million, pending final reviews and approvals by both parties. The deal is expected to be closed by early 2023.<\/p>\n

Any development would have to be approved by village officials. The mayor has welcomed the team’s proposed move from Soldier Field in Chicago, and has floated the idea of \u200b\u200blimited local taxpayer support.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0<\/span>[Don\u2019t miss] What would a potential new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights be like? Here’s a look at the 7 newest NFL stadiums, from capacity to best amenities. ]<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a proposal to build a dome on top of Soldier Field, and expand its capacity from 61,500, the smallest in the National Football League, to 70,000.<\/p>\n

But the city, already operating at a deficit and still paying off the stadium’s last renovation in 2003, has not specified how it would pay for such a costly project.<\/p>\n

Lightfoot’s press office issued a statement that she has made a \u201ccompelling case\u201d for the Bears to stay in Chicago at a \u201ctier one\u201d stadium.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe city will continue to make the case to the Bears, the NFL and the public that a revitalized Soldier Field makes the most economic sense,\u201d spokeswoman Kate LeFurgy said.<\/p>\n

Arlington Heights Mayor Hayes called the meeting an encouraging sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re increasing the speed of the project as we move forward toward making this a reality,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an opportunity to get initial feedback from the community, so it’s a very important and exciting part of the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

He emphasized that this is not a village meeting, and he would not be present so as not to interfere.<\/p>\n

A Bears spokesman declined additional comment on the meeting.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0<\/span>Read Bears’ announcement of informational meeting.\u00a0]<\/span><\/p>\n

The meeting is expected to be more about the entire development of the property as an entertainment district than about the fine details of the stadium. It is a chance for the team to let the public know where it’s at with the project and encourage feedback. The team is expected to stress that the purchase of the property \u2014 and the ensuing development \u2014 is not yet a done deal.<\/p>\n

The Bears have called Soldier Field home since 1971, but the team has discussed or proposed playing its games elsewhere throughout much of the last 50 years.<\/p>\n

Wrigley Field served as the original home venue for the team when it moved to Chicago in 1921 and remained there through 1970.<\/p>\n

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But the Bears were forced to find a new home after the American Football League merged with the National Football League and required stadiums to seat at least 50,000 fans.<\/p>\n

A recent poll commissioned by a self-described libertarian group found that a majority of Arlington Heights residents surveyed support the Bears moving from Soldier Field to their village, but oppose any tax subsidy to help the team do so.<\/p>\n

The poll, released last month, found that 72% of approved proposal of the Bears’ to build a stadium at the closed Arlington International Racecourse \u2014 but 68% opposed using tax dollars to help the team.<\/p>\n

The poll also found strong support for an ordinance to prohibit Arlington Heights from using taxpayer funds to help build a stadium or other \u201ccorporate welfare\u201d by a 55%-30% margin.<\/p>\n

The survey was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity-Illinois, a group founded by the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, and surveyed 300 registered voters in the village.<\/p>\n

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com<\/i><\/p>\n

ckane@chicagotribune.com<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Taking the next step toward building a new stadium, the Chicago Bears Thursday announced an informational community meeting to discuss the potential purchase and development of Arlington International Racecourse. Team officials in a statement said they’ll present conceptual plans for a transit-oriented, mixed-use entertainment district anchored by a stadium in Arlington Heights that would be …<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears to present plans for Arlington Heights stadium<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67950,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/chicago-bears-may-build-domed-stadium-in-arlington-heights\/","url_meta":{"origin":63212,"position":0},"title":"Chicago Bears may build domed stadium in Arlington Heights","date":"September 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time, the Chicago Bears confirmed Tuesday that the stadium the team is considering building in Arlington Heights would be domed \u2014 but the team also called for taxpayer funding of a portion of the project, and noted the plan was still tentative.The Bears' released illustrations of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70868,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/chicago-bears-say-singular-focus-is-on-suburban-arlington-park-site-for-new-stadium\/","url_meta":{"origin":63212,"position":1},"title":"Chicago Bears say ‘singular focus’ is on suburban Arlington Park site for new stadium","date":"September 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- While still in the early stages of development, the Chicago Bears are moving forward with their plan to eventually leave Soldier Field and build a new stadium in the northwest suburbs of Chicago on the 326-acre Arlington Park site.\"Right now, we don't have a Plan B,\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70608,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/residents-have-lots-on-their-minds-at-bears-meeting-on-proposed-stadium\/","url_meta":{"origin":63212,"position":2},"title":"Residents have lots on their minds at Bears meeting on proposed stadium","date":"September 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Chicago Bears generated keen interest from fans and non-fans alike Thursday for a presentation of plans for a new domed stadium and entertainment district in Arlington Heights.Team officials drew applause when they said the stadium would be enclosed, and that the team would not negotiate renovations at Soldier Field\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26027,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/in-the-modern-nfl-2-2bn-wont-stop-the-chicago-bears-flight-to-the-suburbs-chicago-bears\/","url_meta":{"origin":63212,"position":3},"title":"In the modern NFL, $2.2bn won’t stop the Chicago Bears’ flight to the suburbs | Chicago Bears","date":"July 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The city of Chicago has thrown its considerable weight this week behind an attempt to keep the Bears at Soldier Field, the NFL team's base since 1971. 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