Chicago Bears stadium project hits speed bump with Arlington Heights govt

The Chicago Bears failed to make headway with the Illinois legislature during the spring session for their new stadium project, and the team hit another snag in their process with the local government in Arlington Heights.

The Bears are planning to move ahead with the Arlington Heights project. In May, Chicago turned over feasibility studies to the local government, and not much has progressed since.

The Chicago Bears receive an update from Arlington Heights

Per Eric DeGrechie of Patch, Arlington Heights officials provided an update on the studies during a board meeting on July 7. They are looking at a study regarding transportation and parking issues, and a study on economic impacts and “financial matters” regarding the site.

Arlington Heights village manager Randy Recklaus didn’t seem optimistic that the feasibility study process would end anytime soon, suggesting that there would be back and forth before the local government gave the Bears any okay on their plans to build the stadium.

“For each one of (the feasibility studies), there is one that is being done by the Chicago Bears football club and one that is being done by the Village’s own consultants,” Recklaus said. “When we talked about this, and the contracts were approved back in April, this is pretty much an iterative process.

“It’s not as simple as you get a report and that’s how it is.”

Arlington Heights is not in a rush to build the Bears’ stadium

The Bears began conducting studies back in 2022 but paused the process in 2023 while they were disputing with the local governments over property taxes. If the Bears are now more eager to make a deal in 2025, Arlington Heights doesn’t seem to be in a rush.

“Essentially, what happens is there’s a draft that is done,” Recklaus said. “That is then vetted by our consultants, and they say, ‘Have you considered this?” Then, they come back, and this goes back and forth. For a project of this size and magnitude, we only have one chance of getting this right.”

Recklaus said the vetting will continue “for some time” while the local public can see the incoming information and discuss it.

The Bears are hoping that favorable legislation passes in the fall state legislative session that helps freeze property taxes for big building projects. Even if that occurs, the team still needs the local government of Arlington Heights to get on board before shovels touch dirt.

The building won’t begin in 2025, and the Bears will be lucky if metal hits dirt in 2026.

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