The Chicago Bears might not get any subsidies from a newly created state fund for the NFL team’s planned new stadium in Arlington Heights, if legislators representing the city have their way.
State lawmakers this week advanced a bill that created a fund of $400 million to attract large businesses to the state, and inserted language barring professional sports teams that move within Illinois from receiving any benefits from it, the Daily Herald reported.
While the new policy would prevent the Bears from getting money through the state fund, which would be controlled by the governor’s office, the team is still working toward other striking incentives through other means, including with the local government.
That route, too, has proven contentious, as the Bears are under contract to buy the shuttered Arlington International Racecourse property for $197 million from Churchill Downs in order to redevelop it into a stadium and entertainment district, a transaction weeks away from closing, according to Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes.
“There is significant resistance to potential future programs that might benefit the Bears,”state Rep. Mark Walker, a Democrat from Arlington Heights, told the outlet.
The Bears announced plans to leave Soldier Field and build a new stadium with more seating and a cover for inclement weather. Since then, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other Chicago officials have been working on plans to redesign and cover the stadium to make it more desirable for the NFL team.
The portion of the bill that bans subsidies for the Bears was added shortly before it passed in an 86-23 vote. The sponsor was Rep. Mike Zalewski, who, alongside Rep. Kam Buckner, whose district includes Soldier Field, previously co-sponsored a resolution that called for “all necessary steps to ensure that no state or local taxpayer money is used in the construction of new professional sport stadiums.” The previous resolution was filed the day after the Bears announced the $197.2 million purchase agreement.
Potential for subsidies to fund the development of an entertainment district surrounding a stadium in Arlington Heights has drawn criticism from many. That includes the group Americans for Prosperity, which is led locally by Brian Costin. The Bears have said they won’t ask for taxpayer help with the stadium itself, and are seeking public assistance with only the other aspects of their plan.
In addition, the local Palatine Township Elementary District spoke out against creating a TIF district, through which property taxes above a certain amount would go toward the NFL team’s mixed-use project instead of local governments.
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Bears score predevelopment agreement with Arlington Heights
— Victoria Pruitt