Late Bid to Keep Bears in Chicago Despite Looming Arlington Sale

The developer advising Chicago's mayor is proposing a $2.2-billion renovation proposal that includes a glass stadium dome to keep the city's National Football League team, the Bears, at its longtime downtown location, Soldier Field.

The website Front Office Sports published details Jan. 8. The news is of peripheral interest to horse racing enthusiasts, because the Bears have otherwise entered into a purchase agreement to instead build a $5-billion stadium on the site of the former Arlington International Racecourse.

Although the specifics of the proposal are new, city officials have been on record for well over a year saying that they would like to work out a plan to keep the Bears within Chicago and not see the team move to the suburb of Arlington Heights.

The topic has percolated in recent months because the Bears disclosed in September that public funding would be necessary to build the new stadium. Team officials had not previously acknowledged that taxpayers might be on the hook for the $5-billion stadium build, which is separate from the land transaction.

The $197-million sale of the 326-acre Arlington property has been in a due-diligence process since September 2021, which is when Arlington last hosted Thoroughbred racing. The deadline for closing on the deal is March 2023, although the gaming corporation that is selling Arlington, Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), could always extend the deadline by negotiating further with the Bears.

In an open letter published on the football team's website, the Bears stated, “We remain under contract to purchase the property, but there are conditions that must be met in order to be in a position to close. If we do close on the property, it does not guarantee we will develop it. While under contract with the seller of Arlington Park, we will not be discussing or exploring any other alternative stadium sites or opportunities, including renovations of Soldier Field.”

During the summer and fall of 2022, CDI auctioned off the contents of Arlington, selling everything from office and kitchen items to the racetrack's marker poles, finish lines, starting gates, signage and artwork.