Following his appointment to Chicago Bears CEO/President in January 2023, Kevin Warren pushed for construction to start for the new stadium project in 2024. Then he set 2025 as the deadline for shovels to be in the ground for the site in Arlington Heights.
The Chicago Bears are turning to 2026
By September, the Bears are abandoning their plan to start building by the end of this year and are hoping to begin construction in Arlington Heights in 2026. Per Robert McCoppin of the Chicago Tribune, the team wants to break ground sometime in the spring.
“The Chicago Bears are expected to publicly present their latest plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights this fall, officials said, with the hope of breaking ground by spring,” McCoppin wrote. Bears President Kevin Warren and other officials are meeting regularly to refine their plan with Arlington Heights village officials.
“Sometime in September, October or November, the team will make a public presentation and answer questions about the 326-acre site, according to Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia. Then the village planning, design and housing commissions will review the proposal before it goes to a Village Board vote. The whole process could take a few months.”
A few months. We’ve heard that before.
The new Bears stadium still needs help from Illinois
© MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The team still plans to finance the new stadium, though they are still at the mercy of the State of Illinois allowing the Bears to receive subsidies in the form of favorable property taxes. The team hoped the legislature would re-examine passing friendly legislation in the fall, but that’s not likely to happen before the spring.
“With other pressing matters to consider, legislators are a long shot to act in the brief veto session in October, and are more likely to consider the issue in the spring,” McCoppin wrote.
In the spring, Governor JB Pritzker will be a few months closer to potentially launching the start of his 2028 campaign for the presidency. Pritzker has been skeptical of giving the Bears any help because it’s politically unpopular.
The Bears are set to play their season-opening game at Soldier Field against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. The team appears no closer to having a new stadium than when Warren was named CEO in 2023.
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