The Bears have “quietly but surely made building a new home in the central area of Chicago its focus" after “serious flirtation with moving to the suburbs” -- and in particular to Arlington Heights, according to Greg Hinz of CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Sources said that though this is “far from over,” building in Chicago’s central area is “not just a lever to extract better tax terms from Arlington Heights, but the real goal.” If the team get its way under plans that "could go public soon," it will "get, on the parking lot just south of Soldier Field, a brand-new, state-of-the-art domed stadium.” The stadium will be one capable of “hosting not only the Bears but Final Four basketball tournaments, Super Bowls and other big events that have tended to skip Chicago for lack of a suitable venue.” Sources said that the deal would be financed, “at least in part, by tapping a unique bonding clause in the law that governs the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority -- a clause that expires at the end of this year.” Hinz noted Solider Field could be “largely converted to public parks and athletic fields.” Part of the reason for the change is that the cost of developing the 326-acre Arlington site, “along with the price of everything else, has skyrocketed.” Sources said that another factor is that the team’s meetings with Mayor Brandon Johnson and his team “have gone much more smoothly” than under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. But the “big reason for the shift to a city focus” has been a “change at the top” of the organization with Kevin Warren taking over as CEO & President (CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS, 2/2).
