Illinois is finally putting up a fight against Indiana with the Bears stadium updates starting to take a turn
The on-going battle to see where the Chicago Bears move to next continues to unravel.
The Chicago Bears stadium news continues to grow louder and louder this offseason and it should be good news with the goal of putting shovels in the ground sooner than later, perhaps as soon as this year.
It’s an on-going project led by team president Kevin Warren that continues to update with each passing week it seems like.
The previous update hinted that Indiana is making a strong push toward bringing the Bears over state lines after pushing through the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority. It was a major turn in the negotiations but that major move has finally forced Illinois to step up to the plate.
Illinois lawmakers are reportedly getting closer on stadium deal with the Chicago Bears
Right now, the Bears really have two plans in motion for the new stadium project. Either move the team to Northwest Indiana or move the team to the already purchased land in Arlington Heights, just outside of Chicago. All along, the Arlington Heights project seemed like the ideal of the two possibilities, but it’s been a tough battle with the state of Illinois.
On Monday, it was reported by Paris Schutz of FOX32 that the Bears and Illinois are closing in on a deal than can settle all of the disagreements and put the Arlington Heights project in motion finally.
“The legislative sources say Governor JB Pritzker and legislative leaders are on board with a public funding package for infrastructure around the Arlington Heights site, as well as the so-called “PILOT” legislation that would give the team the ability to negotiate property tax levels with the village.” Schutz wrote.
With the Arlington Heights deal, the Bears are only looking for Illinois to cover the infrastructure with Warren stating the team will cover the cost of the stadium itself but the “PILOT” legislation has been the major sticking point that the Bears want confirmed before moving forward.
With the Indiana deal, the state’s stadium authority would finance all or part of the stadium, thus forcing the Bears to pay rent to play in that stadium. Ideally, the team would rather just own it if the organization is already willing to cover the cost of building the stadium. And staying in Illinois is what the majority of the fans would prefer as well.
Indiana swings back with a counter punch of their own
Tuesday morning, David Kaplan reported that the city of Portage, Indiana is making another push with an offer for a rent free domed stadium that would use no public money. That plan would negate the one concern the Bears have when it comes to moving across state lines.
It’s still a back and forth battle but one that should resolve by the end of the month. As Schutz noted, “Indiana’s legislative session ends February 27.” that gives Illinois two weeks to finalize a final plan.
For now, the tug-of-war continues even though all three sides continue to say that’s not what this is.
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