Kevin Warren didn’t take long to put his stamp on the Chicago Bears stadium issue when he decided to shift away from Arlington Heights to a new downtown venue. The goal has been to build on the museum campus south of Soldier Field along the lakefront. He and his team have even devised a blueprint for how it would look. Unfortunately, the state government led by Governor J.B. Pritzker has remained resolute. There is no chance the Bears will get any public funding for such a stadium. It is way too expensive and requires too many hurdles to clear, particularly with advocacy groups wanting to preserve the lakefront property.
For most of the past year, Warren has remained steadfast that the downtown stadium is his focus, and Arlington Heights is nothing more than a quality backup plan. Well, it appears that stance has changed. The Bears president met with the media for the first time since January at the NFL Owners Meetings, where he declared that the focus is no longer solely on a downtown stadium. It’s between that and Arlington Heights. This is the first time Warren has put the two sites on equal footing, offering a clear indication that he might be slowly leaning toward Arlington.
Not only that, but it appears the Bears are considering new ways to pay for it, including allowing interested parties to purchase private equity in the team.
Kevin Warren needs help if he’s going to get downtown going.
That seems like his preferred goal. It comes down to whether Pritzker might be willing to work with him on a viable solution. Interestingly, the governor was asked about Warren’s recent comments. His response felt like a considerable departure from his recent rhetoric.
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“We welcome the idea that the Bears would stay in the city of Chicago. I’ve always said that would be my personal preference.”
This entire saga boils down to one reality: Pritzker doesn’t want the Bears building on the museum campus. His government has expressed a willingness to talk if Kevin Warren considers shifting to the Michael Reese Hospital site, seven blocks west of Millennium Park. The location isn’t bad. It’s still close to the lakefront and in the middle of downtown. Size is the issue. Michael Reese is only 48 acres, compared to the museum campus’ 57. There are also concerns about security and transportation that would need to be figured out.
All things considered, Arlington Heights feels more and more inevitable by the day.
