Kevin Warren was brought in to spearhead the Chicago Bears’ new stadium-building efforts. Since then, he has remained consistent in that pursuit. Everybody assumed it would end up being in Arlington Heights, where the franchise purchased a huge 326-acre plot from Churchill Downs. However, property tax negotiations stalled. In that interim, Warren decided to look elsewhere. That is how he reached an agreement with Mayor Brandon Johnson on a new massive downtown project on the museum campus south of Soldier Field. There was one problem.
Governor J.B. Pritzker and his state government have refused to offer any public funding for such an endeavor.
There has been no shift on that front despite repeated statements from Warren that he feels confident a breakthrough is imminent. It turns out he was right, just not quite in the way he specified. According to Fox 32 Chicago, House Speaker Chris Welch told them the state would consider public funding for the Michael Reese site if the Bears were to consider it.
Kevin Warren has his avenue to a deal if he’s willing to compromise.
Initially, the Michael Reese location was dismissed because of engineering and security issues, along with the site’s narrowness at 48.6 acres. However, consultants have assured the Bears the first two issues can be worked around. Even advocate groups like Friends Of The Parks have admitted they wouldn’t try to stop developing in that location. Michael Reese hasn’t been worked on in any capacity for 16 years. Many officials believe revamping is long overdue. A Chicago Bears stadium in that location represents the perfect opportunity.
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Everything depends on how stubborn Kevin Warren is. If it’s about finding lakefront property, this is the opportunity he’s been waiting for. However, if he is dead set on the museum campus, it feels like he will be waiting a long time for any resolution.
The more I hear about Warren and his qualifications it makes me wonder what the hell McCaskey was thinking when he hired him. If Illinois is going to give money for a stadium in the Walter Reed hospital area they should be able to give money to the Arlington Heights area. I mean at least the taxpayers would have a glimmer of hope of getting their money back. But if you put it in the Reed area they might as well just take boxes of hundred-dollar Bills and put charcoal lighter on it and burn it. Because no one’s going… Read more »
@Barry The systems have always been rigged, but nowadays, the elites don’t care if the masses see through such since they cannot do much to change things. If anything, they flaunt their dominance.
@Arnie It is because billionaires just kind of get whatever they want in these United States of America, where our eagles shit patriotism and our mountains are the strongest and fuck the most, and every team except for one (Green Bay, fml) is owned by a billionaire.
You might say that the systems are rigged et cetera et cetera
I will never understand why professional sports teams continue to expect, and usually receive, massive infusions of tax dollars to build new stadiums. It’s like all they need to do is talk about “jobs” and “increased tax revenue”, then if that doesn’t work, they throw in possible relocation. Everything they say is always 100% bullshit, none of the jobs or tax revenue promises ever come true…ever. Yet, politicians everywhere line up to throw money at them and the only ones who ultimately benefit are the team owners. I hope Pritzker continues to hold his big FU position when it comes… Read more »
A new state of the art stadium and multifunctional superplex would not only provide an economic boom to the city with thousands of new jobs created but also give the Bears much needed modern facilities for fans and families to enjoy, and lure the top NFL players to play for a truly historic franchise on the rise. Soldier Field is old, outdated and falling apart. It’s about time Chicago invests in its future.
I am sure that someone with half a financial brain can come up with terms that would make the build semi-affordable for the city and state.