Pritzker Sees Broad Agreement on Bears Tax Deal

The Chicago Bears’ stadium saga is entering its most delicate stretch yet — and the money is starting to splinter.

Gov. JB Pritzker struck an upbeat tone this week, saying “broad agreement” exists on legislation the team wants to advance for a domed stadium and $5 billion mixed-use development in Arlington Heights, Crain’s reported. A House committee hearing is set for Thursday to consider a measure allowing a payment in lieu of taxes, or Pilot, that would lock in the property tax structure on the former racetrack site for 30 years or more.

The bill is central to the Bears’ plan to privately finance the stadium while relying on public infrastructure support and predictable taxes to make the broader commercial, retail and residential district pencil out. But optimism from the governor’s office doesn’t guarantee votes, according to the outlet, particularly from Chicago lawmakers wary of aiding a suburban relocation.

The political calculus shifted last week when Indiana lawmakers advanced a proposal to build a domed stadium in Hammond backed by $1 billion in public funding. The Indiana House approved the measure and sent it to the Senate, raising the stakes in Springfield and intensifying pressure on Illinois to respond.

Chicago, once the focus of a lakefront dome proposal, is no longer in the running for a new stadium. Still, the city’s park district is demanding a cut if the state helps bankroll infrastructure in Arlington Heights.

The Chicago Park District is seeking $630 million to overhaul the nearly 102-year-old Soldier Field and fix the transportation bottlenecks around the Museum Campus, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Roughly $500 million would fund long-discussed road and transit upgrades, with another $130 million earmarked for stadium seats, concessions, locker rooms, club areas and structural repairs.

The request lands as taxpayers still carry $467 million in debt from the stadium’s 2003 renovation.

Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa told the publication that the infrastructure dollars could come from the state’s motor fuel tax “lock box” fund, which holds about $3.5 billion. The stadium refresh, he suggested, could be partially financed through penalties if the Bears terminate their lease — potentially as high as 150 percent of annual rent under one legal theory.

The renovation blueprint was crafted by Legends Global, which manages multiple NFL venues and is developing a sports complex outside Valencia, Spain, according to the Sun-Times. If Chicago legislators tie their votes to a Soldier Field facelift, the Bears’ clean suburban pivot could morph into a two-front funding battle.

“We continue to have really positive discussions,” Pritzker said.

— Eric Weilbacher