The Chicago Bears appear to have taken another step toward moving out to Arlington Heights.
But there’s a but…
A report from the Chicago Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Robert McCoppin shares word that the team and the Arlington Heights school district have an agreement on a property tax deal that could bring the Bears closer to a move to Arlington Heights (if approved by the village and local school boards in December). If you’ll recall, a tax dispute that had previously been a notable hangup in the Bears’ building a stadium on the Arlington Park property. And, on the surface, this looks like an update that would lead you to believe that the Bears are one step closer to moving to Arlington Heights.
However, the Chicago Bears have released a statement reiterating the team’s insistence on building a stadium in downtown Chicago. This is the Bears’ statement, via the Trib:
“The Chicago Bears remain focused on investing over $2 billion to build a publicly owned enclosed stadium on Chicago’s lakefront while reevaluating the feasibility of a development in Bronzeville. That being said, we remain significant landowners in Arlington Heights and establishing a framework for potential future development planning, financing and property tax certainty has been a priority since the land was purchased. We continue to have productive conversations with the village and school districts and are aligned on a framework should we choose to explore a potential development.”
Let it be clear that there is a long way to go in this stadium-building project. But this certainly feels like a sizeable move. Perhaps the most important news to come of this development is that it seems to keep the options open for Chicago’s football team. Staying in the city remains a possibility for the Bears. But this tax agreement is something that could pave the way for the team to move its home base to the suburbs. There is some newfound wiggle room here.
Chicago Bears stadium watch shifts back to Arlington Heights
Getting to this point has been quite a journey. There was a report in March detailing Arlington Heights’ proposal between the team and local school districts over a property tax bill on the former Arlington International Racecourse site. At the time, reporting indicated that the deal would ultimately result in a total tax liability of $6.3 million in 2023 and $3.6 million in 2024 — which would represent a notable tax break from what was estimated to be a $10 million tax bill. This reporting came a month after Arlington Heights and the Cook County Assessor’s Office said there would be no tax break coming the Bears’ way.
In other words, the Bears and Arlington Heights coming together on a tax agreement is major news — even if it doesn’t get us any closer to a firm answer to questions about where the team will play in the future.
In the end, there was always going to be some sort of public money aspect to a Bears stadium deal. This update makes it seem like Arlington Heights would be in the driver’s seat if things fell through with the city. This summer, Arlington Heights made it known that it was remaining hopeful that it would be the future home of Bears football. And perhaps it still will be. But more recently, there was reporting that the team was reconsidering the Michael Reese Hospital site in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood as a potential landing spot. Between that location, Arlington Heights, and Chicago’s museum campus, the Bears suddenly have options. Stay tuned.