The Chicago Bears have released new renderings of their proposed stadium in the suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois which will replace their longtime home of Soldier Field.
After briefly entertaining the idea of staying in the city and re-developing a stadium just south of their current home, the team re-committed itself to the Arlington Heights plan it set in motion years ago.
The team purchased an abandoned horse racetrack and plans to construct a new domed venue with a target open date of 2029.
Construction of the facility is expected to cost up to $5billion when factoring in the prices to build the stadium, surrounding facilities, and infrastructure. The team initially purchased the land in February 2023 at a cost of $197.2million.
Negotiations over funding for the stadium is ongoing – with the team working with the city and the State of Illinois on an agreement.
While the construction is expected to create thousands of jobs and generate billions in economic activity, it will require plenty of taxpayer support for infrastructure.
The Chicago Bears have released updated renderings of their Arlington Heights stadium
The stadium, the surrounding area, and the infrastructure is projected to cost over $5billion
The Bears hope to start building with the goal of hosting a Super Bowl as soon as 2031
According to the Chicago Tribune, entrance and exit ramps from a nearby highway and changes to a commuter rail line are expected to cost $855million in public funds.
A team report said that those fears should be quelled by the state tax revenues of nearly $1.3billion which are expected to be generated in a 40-year span.
Just before the start of the season, Bears team president Kevin Warren officially killed off the idea of re-developing the campus south of Soldier Field into a new home for the team.
‘Moving outside of the city of Chicago is not a decision we reached easily,’ Warren said in a letter to fans.
‘This project does not represent us leaving, it represents us expanding. The Bears draw fans from all over Illinois, and over 50 percent of our season-ticket holders live within 25-miles of the Arlington Heights site.’
Plans are set to be finalized this year in order for the stadium to launch a bid to host a Super Bowl ‘as soon as 2031’.
Warren added that the building of the stadium itself would ‘require zero state money for construction.’
The Bears are hoping for the state legislature to pass a bill in October approving the start of construction.
