The Bears and Chicago city officials "have reached an
'understanding' on an elaborate Soldier Field renovation
plan that would reclaim 19 acres of lakefront parks, create
underground parking for museums and turn surface lots
surrounding the stadium into a year-round playground,"
according to Fran Spielman of the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, who
writes that "under the proposal, Soldier Field would be
gutted and rebuilt -- saving only its outside walls and
historic colonnades -- in an expedited, 18-month
construction schedule." The Bears would be "required to
play their December home games on the road" during the
season in which the plan is finalized and "find another
place to play the next." Spielman reports "that the stadium
alone" would cost $350M and adds that the Bears "have far
more room to maneuver in negotiating a stadium deal" now
that the NFL "has agreed to provide 'loans' of up to" $150M
for stadium construction that must be repaid "only if the
present owner sells the team." The IL General Assembly will
be asked to raise the IL Sports Facilities' authority's
"debt ceiling and devote both a $6.2M annual hotel tax
surplus and projected growth to the project. Sources said
that some possible sites for the Bears to play while the
stadium is being renovated include: Notre Dame Stadium,
Northwestern Univ.'s Ryan Field and Memorial Stadium in
Champaign (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 8/14).
