The Chicago Bears took another step toward building their new stadium project in suburban Arlington Heights.
To be clear, we’ve still got a long way to go in this journey. But Wednesday’s news of the Illinois House passing the megaprojects bill by a 78-32 vote is huge. This was a vital box to check as the Bears continue their efforts to build a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. There is still a lot of work to do before the Bears erect a stadium on the site of what used to be Arlington International Racecourse, but this is a step in the right direction.
Via the Chicago Tribune:
The bill spearheaded by state Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago, who has led House Democrats’ stadium negotiations, passed 78-32. Only a few Democrats opposed the measure, while some Republicans voted for the plan.
The latest bill altered Buckner’s earlier proposal for how special property taxes on the Bears and other developers of so-called megaprojects would be divvied up, a move aimed at sweetening a bill viewed as a favor to the Bears by promoting property tax relief for Illinoisans.
…
The amended plan still would require the Bears and other megaproject developers to negotiate with local governments over payments in lieu of higher property taxes based on updated assessments, but would now direct a share of those payments toward property tax relief for homeowners, both in the immediate area and across the state.
Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesIllinois House passes megaprojects bill that could pave way for Bears stadium in Arlington Heights
This has been a busy time to talk Bears stadium stuff around here. Between Illinois Governor JB Pritzker sharing an encouraging update and a report that the league’s stadium committee was reportedly set to meet with the Bears after the 2026 NFL Draft, getting this vote is a step that shows how serious Illinois legislators and the Bears are about working together to iron out something that would make everyone happy — and keep the team from crossing the border and leaving for Indiana.
To be clear, there is still more work to do. Getting bill approval in the House is an important first step. Next up on the to-do list would be for the bill to be amended in the Senate, which seems likely, but I won’t count my chickens before they hatch. That this clears the way for a Bears stadium project is a big deal, but it is worth noting that the team has yet to publicly say where this vote leaves things. That is the kind of update that I would find newsworthy. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
In the end, I’ll leave you with a football analogy. Think of this process as an elongated offensive drive. Getting the 60 votes (and more!) to move this through the House and on to the Senate is the political equivalent of converting a manageable third down and generating a new set of downs. And if you’ve followed the Bears and/or Illinois politics for long enough, then you know that you can’t take moving the chains for granted.
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