The Chicago Bears said Friday that they are considering abandoning their current plan to build a new stadium in nearby Arlington Heights and are considering looking at other locations.
This comes despite the fact that the team already purchased the Arlington Heights land for $197.2 million.
The Bears are citing an assessment of the property that they said is too high, making the area «no longer our singular focus.»
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A view of the newly renovated Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. (JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
«It is our responsibility to hear from other municipalities in Chicagoland about potential locations that can provide this transformational opportunity for our fans, our club and the state of Illinois,» the team said.
«The stadium-based project remains very popular in Arlington Heights, Chicagoland and the state. However, the property’s original assessment at five times the 2021 tax value, and the recent agreement with Churchill Downs for 2022 that is three times greater, does not reflect that the property is not operational and is not commercially viable in its current state.»
A plan layout of the Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Park. (Hart Howerton/Chicago Bears)
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The Bears said in September that they would not seek public funding for construction of the stadium, but hope to do so for the surrounding «entertainment district.»
The Bears envision the entertainment district to include restaurants, offices, a hotel, a gym and more «that will bring significant economic benefits to Cook County.»
The city of Chicago proposed last summer to fence off Soldier Field and increase its capacity to the league-low 61,500, but the Bears repeatedly insisted that the only possibilities they were considering were for the Arlington Heights site.
Chicago Bears number 1 Justin Fields warms up before the game against the Washington Commanders at Soldier Field on October 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
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The Bears remain committed to their current lease at Soldier Field, which has been their home since 1974.
Paulina Dedaj and Scott Thompson of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.