For the reason that Chicago Bears hit a financial roadblock of their proposed switch to Arlington Heights, totally different municipalities have been vying in a kind of roulette to attract — or in Chicago’s case, protect — the employees.
Naperville, Rockford, Chicago and, most not too way back, Waukegan have positioned themselves inside the working to land the white whale of the NFL — though some officers concede the employees may be using them for leverage in negotiations with Arlington Heights.
The franchise, a founding member of the league, valued at $5.8 billion by Forbes, is trying to find a model new dwelling. Crew officers hadn’t been planning an instantaneous switch from Chicago’s Soldier Subject until Arlington Worldwide Racecourse went in the marketplace in 2021. They jumped on the chance and closed the deal to buy the property for $197 million this 12 months.
However Prepare dinner County Assessor Fritz Kaegi raised the valuation of the 326-acre property to nearly the sale worth, which could have quadrupled the taxes to about $16 million 12 months. Native college districts not too way back agreed with former proprietor Churchill Downs Inc. to a tax of about half that lots, nonetheless the Bears talked about it’s an extreme quantity of for a vacant property, and promptly began tearing down the majestic grandstand to lower the price.
After beforehand focusing solely on Arlington Heights, the employees issued a press launch that its plans to maneuver there are “in danger,” and that it’s “now not our singular focus.” Here’s a quick rundown of the place varied web sites stand.
Naperville
The Bears have quickly had two conferences with metropolis officers, after Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli wrote to ask the employees to talk. The mayor talked about he’s had very preliminary discussions with Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren.
Wehrli has talked about he must develop underused properties alongside the Interstate 88 tollway, the place the earlier BP Amoco website online might be better than sufficiently huge at 187 acres.
If the Bears submit conceptual plans for a stadium, metropolis officers talked about they could be completely reviewed and procure public comment sooner than any willpower.
The response from Naperville Metropolis Council members has been cautious, with issues raised about web site guests and safety. Councilman Ian Holzhauer talked about he doesn’t plan to gamble away Naperville’s fame as the proper place to spice up a family.
Waukegan
Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor wrote a letter Monday to Warren, proposing that the Bears assemble a model new stadium on lakefront property.
A number of locations Taylor cited have the home for a stadium and leisure house with entry to Interstate 94, U.S. Route 41 and public transportation. The Bears already observe in Lake Forest, 9 miles south of Waukegan. The Bears didn’t immediately reply publicly to the invitation.
Arlington Heights
The predominant distinction between Arlington Heights and the other web sites, in any case, is that the Bears private property there. The website online is sufficiently huge for a stadium and an infinite proposed housing and leisure superior. It has a Metra observe station and is subsequent to Route 53, not faraway from the I-90 tollway.
Village officers often have welcomed the proposal, whereas saying they’ll should take care of web site guests issues and analyze the deal to confirm it’s an internet financial purchase for the realm. However the Bears demand that their property taxes be set upfront, and they also want taxpayer help setting up infrastructure like roads and utilities. The employees talked about the native colleges’ proposal for property taxes on the positioning has left them at a standstill.
A poll ultimate 12 months by the libertarian Individuals for Prosperity-Illinois, a bunch based mostly by the conservative billionaire Koch brothers, found that most of the 300 registered voters questioned wanted the Bears to come back again there, nonetheless didn’t must pay taxes for it.
Individuals for Prosperity submitted a petition for a referendum on the problem, nonetheless the Village Board rejected it. The group nonetheless hopes to get the question on the ballot.
Native state lawmakers proposed letting the employees negotiate taxes as part of a Fee in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program, but it surely absolutely went nowhere in Springfield. One other proposal to separate the stadium revenues with surrounding suburbs and have the followers pay $3 a ticket to help repay glorious debt for the Bears’ current dwelling at Soldier Subject in Chicago moreover gained no traction.
Rockford
State Rep. Dave Vella, a Democrat from Rockford, suggested the Tribune he’d like his metropolis to have a possibility at bringing the Bears there.
Whereas acknowledging that Rockford is 90 miles from Chicago, he touted Rockford’s transportation enchancment and the best way that would presumably be used at Bears followers’ consolation.
“Rockford is correct on I-90. We have now the fastest-run cargo airport. We have now passenger rail coming quickly. We have now tons of house. I believe it’s the proper location for the Bears,” Vella talked about. “Let’s put a pitch in too.
“I at all times say Rockford is an uncut gem. And good issues are taking place in Rockford proper now,” he talked about. “Simply getting the Bears to leap on board can be an awesome factor for them and an awesome factor for us.”
Chicago
Mayor Brandon Johnson talked about he wanted to keep up the employees inside the metropolis and met with Warren ultimate week about what they known as their shared dedication to the city.
The 2 launched this imprecise joint assertion: “As we speak we met and mentioned our shared values and dedication to the Metropolis of Chicago, the significance of deep roots and the necessity for equitable neighborhood funding all through the town. We’re each dedicated to the concept that the town and its main civic establishments should develop and evolve collectively to fulfill the wants of the long run. We sit up for persevering with the dialogue round these shared values.”
Johnson didn’t provide any specifics, nonetheless the mayor talked about it’s important to have conversations to keep up the Bears “shuffling” in Chicago, a reference to the employees’s solely Tremendous Bowl win, in 1986.
As for the Bears, they issued the subsequent assertion on June 2, the day of their first meeting with Naperville:
“We are going to proceed the continuing demolition exercise and work towards a path ahead in Arlington Heights, however it’s now not our singular focus,” employees officers wrote. “It’s our accountability to take heed to different municipalities in Chicagoland about potential places that may ship on this transformational alternative for our followers, our membership and the state of Illinois.”
Chicago Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed.
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