Chicago Bears Seek $855M in Public Funds for Infrastructure at Proposed Stadium | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks

The Chicago Bears are looking for $855.2 million in public funding to pay for infrastructure associated with a new stadium that would be built on a former horse racing track in Arlington Heights, Ill., about 25 miles northwest of their current location at Soldier Field on Chicago's Grant Park.

The request by the National Football League franchise team is contained in a report released Oct.1 and prepared by the real estate consulting firm HR&A Advisors. It outlines expected costs and revenues related to the new stadium that the team wants to build to attract Super Bowls, college national football national championships and other premium events.

The Bears have committed to paying the $2 billion cost of the stadium, itself, which, along with an adjoining mixed-use district development, would represent a total capital investment of more than $5 billion, according to the report, which also estimates that the project would create 56,600 construction jobs across the state. 

A general contractor has not yet been named for the stadium. The architect is Kansas City-based Manica Architecture. Hart Howerton, which is headquartered in New York City and San Francisco, is working on the master plan for a surrounding mixed-use district that would feature retail, restaurants, housing, a hotel and parkland.

Recently released renderings for the proposed stadium show a fixed roof, domed stadium with seating for 65,000 to 70,000 fans. The plans also call for public transit train access, expanded parking and new infrastructure to improve access and tailgating. Chicago's Metra suburban commuter rail system already went to the former Arlington Park horse racing track on the site. 

The Chicago Bears have released renderings of a proposed $2 billion stadium in Arlington Heights.
Rendering courtesy of Manica Architecture

The report estimates that the redevelopment would generate gross public revenue over 40 years of almost $2.28 billion that would go to local, county, and state jurisdictions, not including property taxes.

"Adding a state-of-the-art enclosed facility capable of hosting events year-round, surrounded by a vibrant mixed-use district, and connected to America’s 3rd largest city will dramatically elevate Chicagoland’s sports and entertainment scene," the report states.  

The plan calls for redeveloping a 326-acre tract which "is one of the last large-scale, assembled transit-oriented development opportunities in the region," according to the report.

The Bears confirmed in September that they want to move forward with building a new stadium outside of Chicago, and hope for construction to start in 2026.

The team can't start building the stadium until they get approval from the state legislature on a “mega project” bill that would enable the Bears and other developers of projects in the $100-million to $500-million range to negotiate property tax levels with local municipalities, rather than paying an annual rate based on the property's assessed value.

The bill languished in the spring and will be harder to pass in the fall veto session, which requires a three-fifths majority for all bills, and is scheduled for Oct. 14.

 Crain’s Chicago Business reported in 2024 that the Bears still owe about $620 million for the last Soldier Field rebuild in 2003, which also may hinder plans for a new stadium.

"We need to make sure that the taxpayers are not burdened by the debt that was put on the building of [Solider Field] stadium, if we are then going to go and support more funding for anything to do with the next stadium," Gov. JB Pritzker (D) said at an unrelated event on Oct. 2. 

A Super Bowl hosted in Arlington Heights would generate over $230 million in economic activity across Chicago and generate over $7.2 million in fiscal revenues for the City of Chicago, according to the report. 

Annemarie Mannion is editor of ENR Midwest, which covers 11 states. She joined ENR in 2022 and reports from Chicago.