Arlington Heights Got Crafty To Stay In The Chicago Bears Stadium Hunt
The Chicago Bears remain determined in their efforts to build a new downtown stadium along the lakefront. So far, the Illinois state government has entertained the idea with any seriousness. They don’t think any public money should go to such a project. It doesn’t benefit taxpayers, who are too busy worried about food and shelter in a recovering economy. Team president Kevin Warren doesn’t seem deterred. He believes solutions exist for this problem and is ready to act on them once the next opportunity arises.
That said, many people believe it won’t work. Finding the necessary money for such a plan will be a nightmare. That is why, at some point, the Bears will cut their losses and resume plans to build the stadium in Arlington Heights. The township hasn’t given up yet. They remain confident they can bring the Bears back to the negotiating table. All they have to do is wait things out. Meanwhile, they’ve found creative ways to stay on the team’s good side. Elizabeth Owens-Schiele of the Chicago Tribune revealed one such decision.
An electronic billboard towering near the former site of Arlington International Racecourse, which the Chicago Bears now own, will stay up another year – over one village trustee’s objection, despite the town’s ban on such advertising and because it could show “good faith” as Arlington Heights continues to woo the NFL football team there.
The Village Board voted 8-1 at its meeting Tuesday night to allow the team to continue to have the billboard, located on Illinois Route 53 at Northwest Highway in the northwest suburb, until June 30, 2025. Trustee Wendy Dunnington was the lone “no” vote…
…“Although we do have a policy of not having billboards in Arlington Heights,” Hayes said, “we do have exceptions to our policies and our ordinances. This calls for such an exception. I’ve been in favor of this billboard from the start.”
The Chicago Bears will likely know what to do by the end of this season.
Warren stated he’d like a resolution by early next year. His goal is for the stadium to open in 2028. That means he must do one of two things: convince the state government to buy into the plan or shift back to Arlington Heights. The Bears president has shown no signs of backing off his hopes of a lakefront dome. It is part of his grand vision for the franchise. He sees that skyline in primetime games, college basketball tournaments, concerts, the Final Four, and even a Super Bowl happening there someday.
Unfortunately, Chicago has a habit of complicating anything where lots of money is involved. Such is the nature of its volatile political climate. The Chicago Bears haven’t had much success throughout their history when it comes to pursuing their own building. They started out by leasing Wrigley Field for years before moving to Soldier Field in the 1970s. It is time they built a stadium that is truly their home. Don’t expect the politicos to let that happen without a fight.