The Chicago Bears are on their way to getting a new stadium, but there seems to be some confusion as to where that will be. Chicago suburb Arlington Heights is continuing to fight to be the location for the new team stadium. The town and the Bears couldn't come to terms in recent months on a property tax plan, but the town wants another shot to satisfy the team.
“We’ve worked very hard to come to an agreement with the school districts that I think the Bears can be comfortable with, and that’s been communicated to the Bears, and that’s what we’re discussing now,” Arlington Heights mayor Tom Hayes said, per the Daily Herald. “So I feel very comfortable that should the Bears re-engage with us and continue to explore the Arlington Park site, that the road is going to be much easier than we found in past months.”
Arlington Heights hoped the Bears would pay a substantial amount in taxes to use the property, which would help fund local school districts. The Bears didn't agree to the amount of taxes the town wanted, so the franchise decided to use a Chicago site instead for the new stadium. That also has hit a snag, so the exact location for the team's stadium is currently unknown.
Inside the Bears Stadium saga
Chicago is getting a new stadium at one of two locations. The facility will either be in Chicago near the lakefront, or in Arlington Heights. The issue in both cases has dealt with taxes and how much the franchise will have to pay to construct the facility.
Arlington Heights seemed like the spot for Chicago. The town has a large amount of land available to the team, to go along with a refurbished shopping and residential area planned nearby. The town wanted the team to help pay as much as $7.9 million in taxes, per NBC Sports, to locate the team there. The Bears were reportedly only willing to pay about $4.3 million, and talks seemed to die out. Arlington Heights has come back with a new proposal to try and convince the team to come.
“I feel really good that we’ve presented a proposal to the Bears that they can feel comfortable with, and we’ve communicated that to them, and they have responded, and discussions are continuing,” Hayes added. “I feel very hopeful about where things are at. And I’ve always said that, ultimately, I think the Bears will find that Arlington Heights is the best site for them.”
Arlington Heights has gotten some help with their pitch. The Bears aren't getting what they want from the city of Chicago, either. The Bears hoped the state of Illinois would give them tax dollars to help build the facility in city limits. The governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, has expressed his reluctance with that notion. That's opened the door back to Arlington Heights for this second chance to land the big fish.
A team spokesman said the club continues to maintain its focus on the Chicago lakefront site, per the Daily Herald. Time will tell where the Bears end up, but this saga has certainly had its share of twists and turns.
Follow Us
Subscribe
