Bears’ Push For Stadium Tabled Until Legislature’s Fall Session

That had appeared likely in recent weeks but was confirmed by a pair of state senators who spoke to the Chicago Tribune for a story in Sunday’s edition.

“It’s fair to say that there won’t be any Bears action … in this legislative session, which I think is fine,” said senator Kim Buckner of Chicago. “I think a proposal of this magnitude deserves sunlight and scrutiny. And very often what happened in this building is that things get rammed through at the last minute without much public input or transparency. I welcome conversations that will probably begin to happen once (the spring session ends).”

It’s unclear if the Bears’ proposal for a $3.2 billion domed stadium along Lake Michigan — immediately south of Soldier Field, which opened in 1924 and was remodeled in 2003 — has gained any traction in Springfield.

The Bears are proposing to pay $2.3 billion of the costs, including a $300,000 grant from the NFL, but math on the project is anything but simple. The team is seeking to use an already existing hotel tax of 2-percent to generate $900 million in new bonds but the Tribune reports the team also wants the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority to refinance about $430 million in outstanding debts for Soldier Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, giving teams a clean slate before this project begins.

The Bears are also proposing that the ISFA borrow about $160 million more to cover any future shortfalls in the hotel tax, which brings the total of new borrowing necessary for construction to about $1.5 billion. That doesn’t not include another heavy expense in public money — perhaps as much as $1.5 billion — for improvements on the lakefront, including the demolition of Soldier Field.

The Bears’ desire to build a domed, 77,000-seat stadium to replace the 61,500-seat Soldier Field comes at the same time that MLB’s White Sox and two women’s pro teams are seeking upgraded homes of their own. The WNBA’s Sky currently plays at DePaul’s Wintrust Arena while the National Women’s Soccer League’s Red Stars share SeatGeek stadium with the MLS’ Chicago Fire.

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf has developed a plan that shows the 33-year-old Guaranteed Rate Field could be retro-fitted as a soccer stadium in conjunction with his team’s move to an undeveloped lot in the city’s South Loop.

Governor J.B. Pritzker needs to be sold on the use of public funding for sports facilities. His office reacted to the Bears’ April launch of a stadium campaign by saying it was a “nonstarter.”

“In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois,” press secretary Alex Gough said in an April 24 statement. “The Governor’s office remains open to conversations with the Bears, lawmakers, and other stakeholders with the understanding that responsible fiscal stewardship of tax-payer dollars remains the foremost priority.”

Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, unlike predecessor Lori Lightfoot, has joined the Bears in backing the proposal to stay in Chicago. The Tribune reports that every year the project doesn’t go forward will cost an additional $150 million in construction expenses.

Bears President Kevin Warren said in April that construction could begin in 2025 if the legislature approved funding in the spring session. “That would allow us 36 months later to open our building in 2028,” Warren said. “This is truly one of those adages that time is money.”

Robert Peters, the state senator whose district covers Soldier Field, believes the Bears’ plan is plausible but knows it faces major hurdles, including other franchises fighting their own stadium battles.

“I don’t think there’s necessarily an appetite to just give billionaires a whole bunch of money,” Peters told the Tribune. “I think there’s just a series of things. People need to work together. They need to be realistic in what they ask for. They need to think about equity in that conversation.”