Editor’s Note: The Village of Arlington Heights is holding a press conference to “Keep the Bears in Illinois” Friday morning. It will stream in the player above once it begins.
Two days before the Chicago Bears are set to play the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field, Arlington Heights officials are making their most urgent push yet to bring the Bears’ stadium to the village, after the team’s surprise announcement last month that it was considering other locations, including northwest Indiana.
“We are in a clutch situation, and what we do right now will determine what comes next for Illinois,” Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia wrote in a letter Friday to state lawmakers. “The team has been clear that at this point their choices are either the Arlington Heights site or Indiana.”
The purpose of the letter was to urge the Illinois General Assembly to pass a “mega projects” bill, which would grant major tax breaks to developers and companies to help facilitate large-scale developments. Tinaglia reiterated that the team is not asking for taxpayer money to build a new stadium at the site of the former Arlington Park racetrack. Instead, the Bears would invest their own money to build a new $5 billion stadium, next to a new mixed-use entertainment district. The team would work directly with taxing bodies, including schools, to set taxing structures. The mayor said all three affected local school districts are in favor of a new mega projects bill.
“This would be the largest private development project in the history of Illinois,” he wrote.
The Bears are lobbying for the ability to create a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, program, meaning they would be able to negotiate an annual payment with Arlington Heights officials in lieu of a standard property tax assessment and payment.
On Jan. 6, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said lawmakers in Springfield plan to focus on affordability and cost-of-living issues during the upcoming legislative session. He called it “insensitive” to talk about a new Bears stadium when Soldier Field is less than 25 years old. Legislative leaders’ lukewarm attitudes toward a new Arlington Heights stadium pushed the team close to a breaking point in December, as evidenced by a letter Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren sent to fans.
“We asked only for a commitment to essential local infrastructure (roads, utilities, and site improvements) which is more than typical for projects of this size,” Warren wrote. “Additionally, we sought reasonable property tax certainty to secure financing. We listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership.”
Perhaps, in light of the news that the Bears are looking outside of Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker’s tone has recently become friendlier toward a new stadium deal.
“There is a package that could be put together that would help with infrastructure,” Pritzker told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve always said that building a stadium is, from my perspective, about doing what’s best for the taxpayers. This is a private business. We help private businesses all the time in this state. And I want to help.”
A day later, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in his 2026 State of the State address: “With our strong business environment, it’s not surprising that another organization has noticed that Indiana is open for business: the Chicago Bears. We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier State.”
Illinois’ mega projects bill has drawn criticism from Republican gubernatorial candidates and the group Americans for Prosperity-Illinois. The libertarian group founded by the Koch brothers argues that the property tax burden would shift away from developers onto homeowners, renters and small businesses near the stadium site.
Brian Costin, in a Chicago Tribune op-ed, said the bills “could potentially double property tax bills for families near megaproject sites.”
As part of his plea to lawmakers for the legislation, Tinaglia said according to some estimates, the Bears’ property taxes on the Arlington Heights site could be between $100 million and $200 million per year.
“The next highest tax bill for any private stadium in the country is approximately $8 million, for Sofi Stadium near Los Angeles. If we do not give private developers the opportunity to negotiate a more reasonable yearly property tax rate, here in Illinois, we simply will not see these types of once in a generation projects. We cannot fumble this opportunity,” Tinaglia said.
Tinaglia said the development is expected to generate $10.9 billion in one-time economic activity and $1.3 billion in annual net new economic activity for the state, with an annual nearly $2 billion in new tax revenue over 40 years for local, county and state governments.
“The Chicago Bears should not get special treatment just because they are ‘the Bears,’ but they shouldn’t have it held against them, either. They should be treated the same as any other entity making such a massive investment that provides the jobs, revenues, and economic activity that this project can provide. We want to make sure that everyone involved gets fair treatment throughout the process. A property tax bill 12 to 25 times higher than their closest peer is not fair and will cost us the largest private development project in state history if we do not act now,” Tinaglia wrote.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
