NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at an NFL owners team in Orlando Tuesday provided updates on the status of the Chicago Bears’ stadium project — which he says will not be built in Chicago.
The Bears are still committed to two “viable” sites in Arlington Heights and in Hammond, Indiana, Goodell said.
“There was a specific update on the Bears on the two sites that are viable in the Bears’ mind,” he said. “That process is going on.”
Goodell also revealed he had recently spoken to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker about the status of the talks in Springfield, where lawmakers have until May 31 to pass legislation aimed at keeping the team in the state.
“I’ve spoken to the governor recently and there’s a focus on getting something done, and there will be two viable options for the Bears to choose from,” he said.
In recent days, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has pitched the idea of giving Chicago more control of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority as a way to keep the Bears in the city.
Pritzker criticized the idea during a Monday morning news conference, saying Johnson has “no plan.”
“He has come up with no plan at all about how the Bears would end up in the city of Chicago, so that’s problematic,” Johnson said. “I’d love them to be in the city, but we’re three years in now, and he still has no plan.”
After the comments, Johnson’s office fired back, saying he does not privately owned stadium funded in any way by increased property taxes on residents while the Bears get property tax breaks.
“The City’s proposal remains the only plan centered on public ownership alongside a funding mechanism that does not burden property taxpayers while keeping the Bears in Chicago. We look forward to continuing to work with the legislature, the State, and all stakeholders to advance a solution that centers the needs of working Illinoisans while preserving the Bears’ future in Chicago,” a statement from Johnson’s office read.
2 ‘viable’ sites
The Bears currently have an offer on the table from the state of Indiana to build a new stadium in Hammond, with the state offering up to $1 billion in incentives to lure the team across the border. That money would be raised through taxes collected around the stadium project, a food and beverage tax surcharge in Lake and Porter counties, and a raise in the hotel tax in Lake County.
The state would also require a 12% ticket surcharge for games hosted at a stadium.
According to officials, the site for the Hammond stadium would be built steps away from a superfund site, and the BP Refinery in Whiting — the biggest refinery in the world.
As for Arlington Heights, the Bears are seeking a bill that would lock in their property tax rates at the proposed stadium site at the former Arlington Race Track, along with funds to help build infrastructure up around the stadium itself, including on roadways, transit corridors and more.
Mayors of neighboring suburbs recently expressed concern over traffic the stadium would bring to their areas.
“Our top concerns are traffic,” Lara Sanoica, the mayor of Rolling Meadows, said. Our top concerns are making sure that the people who live in Rolling Meadows are not suffering because there’s a stadium that was poorly planned.”
Sanoica, along with the mayors of Palatine and Schaumburg, has sent two letters to legislative leaders and Pritzker asking for a seat at the negotiating table. A big question that remains is when the team will complete its traffic study, which officials say is required of the Bears for the deal to move forward.
The team has said they will privately finance the stadium and the surrounding entertainment district, but some lawmakers and activists are concerned about the ramifications of locking in property tax rates, saying it could conceivably cause the rates of homeowners in the area to go up.
The General Assembly has until May 31 to pass a deal, and the Bears are hoping to make a decision on their new home shortly after the legislative session ends.
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