It’s official: the Chicago Bears organization has announced that it has entered into a purchase agreement for the 326-acre Arlington Park racetrack complex in Arlington Heights with owner Churchill Downs. The news comes after much speculation earlier in the summer whether such a move was purely a posturing play to shake down city leaders for better terms or if indeed there was a real plan to relocate the team to the northwest suburb.
But the Bears are only the latest in the pandemic trend of folks leaving the city for more space out in the suburbs. Except, their new home is still years away.
Sports news outlet The Athletic had a lead on the news and broke the story early this morning. The official announcement from The Bears came just a few hours later. As suspected, the story has had mixed reactions from readers and area residents, such as a suggestion on Twitter that the team change its name from the Chicago Bears to the Chicago Burbs.
With capacity for 61,500 attendees, Soldier Field is currently the smallest stadium in the NFL. And getting there isn’t a cakewalk either. Straddled by Northerly Island and the lakefront on the east and Lake Shore Drive to the west, the Museum Campus location is challenging for those taking either public transit or private vehicles. A new stadium also means that there would likely be a dome for winter games.
However, there’s certainly much more to the move than seeking a larger stadium. At its heart, it’s a real estate story. The Ricketts’s family overhaul of both Wrigley Field and the neighborhood surrounding is a template that the Bears organization could likely follow. It’s not just about controlling the home stadium, but it’s also about developing and retaining ownership over retail and hospitality amenities that could become a feature of the new Bears village.
One major question that remains unanswered is what impact a Bears move would have on the proposed One Central mega-development for the Museum Campus. Developer Landmark Development envisions transforming a sprawling 32-acre section of open rail lines into a new neighborhood of residential high-rises and a transportation hub. In the original conceptual renderings for the proposal, there was a mock Chicago Bears “tailgate experience” attraction that would have a view of Soldier Field.
The deal is far from over however, but based on the announcement from the team’s leadership, both the Village of Arlington Heights and Churchill Downs Incorporated are all on board with the plan. Next steps would likely be a lengthy community input process where the team would discuss plans and incorporate feedback from residents into its master planning.
“Much work remains to be completed, including working closely with the Village of Arlington Heights and surrounding communities, before we can close on this transaction,” Bears President and CEO Ted Phillips said in a written statement. “Our goal is to chart a path forward that allows our team to thrive on the field, Chicagoland to prosper from this endeavor, and the Bears organization to be ensured a strong future.
Should all work out according to plan, it could still be another year or longer until the deal is finally closed. And until then, it could be enough time for the Chicago Park District and Mayor Lori Lightfoot to have a change of heart and offer the Bears incentives and terms that are more favorable to the team. The team’s current lease with the city runs through 2033 but would likely be broken if the Arlington Park deal proceeds as anticipated.
