An NFL stadium of fixed roof and a mixed district planned for 326 hectares in Arlington Heights, Ill.
However, Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, has made it clear that he believes that the franchise should remain in the city. “Look, bears belong to the city of Chicago … I think people know,” Johnson said during a August 2025 interview on the Rahimi & Harris program in WSCR-AM. “We want to ensure that the ownership of the Chicago Bears, the park district and the residents of the city of Chicago have a real seat on the table to discuss a path forward.”
Johnson’s office did not return the application for additional comments. The team executives say that the design has been completed, but the construction is based on a “mega-projects” bill of the state that would give certainty to the tax on long-term property.
“ This is our plan … We firmly believe that it is the only location in Cook County that will allow us to build a new Chicago Baars stadium with a fixed roof, ” said President and CEO of the team, Kevin Warren, said on August 8, adding: “ We are doing great progress … These meetings are good. Making excellent and excellent progress in weekly coordination. Heights.
Soldering to the west
According to Warren, the club could “move dirt” before the end of the year if the bill happens in October, breaking the ground by 2026 and opening in about three years, a schedule comparable to the 30-month construction of the US Bank Stadium, of $ 1.1 million, which surpassed as Minnesota Vikings Coo.
The Baars acquired the old Arlington Racecourse Site in February 2023 for $ 197.2 million, an agreement that they said at that time could generate $ 9.4 billion in economic impact and $ 3.9 billion in job income, according to a statement on the team website.
In March 2024, Tom Hayes, then Mayor of Arlington Heights, called the property a “unique potential potential” opportunity, citing their size, traffic access and regional location, but warned that the village leaders “would not approve a plan that does not meet these expectations” for wide community benefits.
The village focused in recent months, confirming in April 2025 that it had a more detailed review. Traffic and financial impacts for bears were independently reviewed, funded by the team. The village staff said these reviews would help determine the needs of infrastructure and the feasibility of a redevelopment plan.
Warren confirmed that the design of the stadium is completed and that the immediate priority of the team is the passage of the bill “mega-project” at the Fall Veto session of the General Assembly of Illinois. The measure would allow for large -scale developments negotiate real estate tax terms directly with local tax bodies up to 40 years.
“This is an economic bill that would employ people … Yes, bears would benefit. But there is much more than bears that benefit from this bill. The entire state of Illinois will benefit from this,” said Warren, estimating 56,000 construction jobs and 9,100 permanent jobs if the stadium progresses.
The current tax structure of the property is governed by a memorandum of understanding between the bears, the people of Arlington Heights and the local tax bodies. The agreement establishes the valuable value of the site at $ 125 million, the approximate value as a vacant parcel, and sets the annual real estate taxes about $ 3.6 million from 2025 to 2027, provided that the Earth remains without improving.
The village’s frequently asked questions establish that the arrangement automatically ends if the bears select another location for the stadium or if the significant construction begins. People’s officials said that the intention is to give certainty to the team and the fiscal bodies during the predicted phase, while preserving the right to renegotiate once the vertical construction changes the value of the property.
The Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker has not committed to the Bill “Mega-Project”, but has kept the door open, telling journalists in August during a media event, “it is something we still consider … We will evaluate what costs are … and the benefits that come from attracting companies as a result of providing this ability to use these taxes,” said NBCagago for the first time.
The 326 -hectare package was scheduled for redevelopment, formerly the Arlington International Racecourse site in Suburban Arlington Heights, Ill. Image courtesy of Google Maps
The team has not announced their construction delivery method or appointed a design builder. The process of approval of the people will require comprehensive traffic and parking analysis, as well as economic impact studies, but no formal planned development application has yet been submitted.
During the television transmission of the Bear’s preseason against the Dolphins on August 10, President George H. McCaskey said: “But we must convince them that this will be excellent for the state. This is for us,” emphasizes the need for the team to sell the bill of tax certainty in Springfield. The exchange, published live, was published by the club; McCaskey joined Adam Amin, Jim Miller and Stacey Dales in the cabin.
Other NFL modern stages offer scale and funding points: The United States Bank stadium in Minneapolis cost $ 1.1 billion and was delivered in about 30 months with substantial funding from the State and the city; The stadium alleging Las Vegas opened by 2020 to $ 1.97 billion, with the support of $ 750 million in public good; Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, is the Home of the Rams and Chargers, opened by 2020 at a private funded cost of $ 5.5 billion; While Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis opened in 2008 to $ 720 million with significant state and local tax contributions.
The proposed suburban moving design responsibilities are divided. Manica Architecture leads the design of the stadium, according to the firm, providing experience of the stadium allegiating to Las Vegas (delivered with HNTB as a registration architect) and Chase Center in San Francisco. Hart Howerton prepared the Master Plan of Arlington Heights and the representations of the Early District for the Wider Mixed Use Program; The firm is still part of the largest design team.
The lease of the bears to Soldier Field is running until 2033, but nothing in the Municipal Code prevents ground in Arlington Heights before the agreements are completed. The viability of the project will activate three parallel tracks: the legislative passage of the Mega-Project Tax bill, the municipal approvals for traffic, the parking and economic studies and a contracting strategy for the design and construction that adapts to the winter conditions of the Midwest and the NFL deadlines program.
“We are ready. The stadium is designed,” said Warren. “It’s just a matter of aligning all the pieces.”
