There has been some talk about the Chicago Bears moving away from Soldier Field in recent years, and the team released a statement about closing on Arlington Park property, which is seemingly a step towards building a new stadium.

The Bears reached an agreement for the purpose of acquiring Arlington Park property last fall, and now the team has closed on that acquisition. The team emphasized that the acquisition does not guarantee that a new stadium will be built.

“Finalizing the purchase does not guarantee the land will be developed, but it is an important next step in our ongoing evaluation of the opportunity,” the Bears open letter says. “There is still a tremendous amount of due diligence work to be done to determine if constructing an enclosed state-of-the-art stadium and multi-purpose entertainment district is feasible.”

The interesting part of that quote is the mentioning of an enclosed facility, which would indicate an indoor stadium. The Bears are viewed as a cold-weather team, and that would be no more.

Soldier field has had many complaints over the years, especially with the renovations. It has the smallest capacity in the league, and even had its National Historic Landmark designation withdrawn in 2006.

The Bears have assured citizens of multiple concerns surrounding the acquisition of the Arlington Park property, the first is the local residents.

“Over the past five months, we have met with local residents, small business owners, school districts, elected officials and other interested stakeholders to secure their critical input, and we will continue to have an open dialogue to ensure this potential multi-purpose development provides the greatest possible benefits to the region,” the open letter said.

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The open letter also indicated the Bears would not rely on taxpayer money to fund a new stadium.

“If we construct a state-of-the-art stadium, we will not seek taxpayer funds locally or otherwise for the structure,” the open letter said.

It is not a sure-thing, but the Bears have taken an important step toward building a new stadium.