Overview

• Bears president Kevin Warren has declared Arlington Heights the only viable Cook County site for a fixed-roof stadium after previous lakefront proposals stalled.
• The team aims to “move dirt” on the 326-acre former Arlington Park property this year and break ground by 2026, contingent on legislative action.
• Bears leaders say passage of a ‘mega-project’ bill to negotiate or freeze property taxes for up to 40 years — requiring a three-fifths majority — is essential to finance their roughly $5 billion stadium and mixed-use development.
• Gov. J.B. Pritzker maintains that Illinois taxpayers should not subsidize the Bears but says his administration will continue evaluating the tax-relief proposal ahead of the fall veto-session vote.
• Weekly planning meetings between Bears executives and Arlington Heights officials underscore ongoing project preparations, but political resistance in Springfield leaves the timeline and public-financing details unresolved.