Arlington Heights surprised by Bears' plan to spend $2 billion on new Chicago stadium
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – Leaders in northwest suburban Arlington Heights were caught off guard Monday when they got the news of the Bears' plan to spend $2 billion on a new stadium in Chicago.
Despite the surprise of the team's apparent change of heart, there was still a lot of hope in the village. Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said the village didn't even receive a courtesy phone call from the Bears about the plan.
In a statement, the village said the Chicago Bears Football Club on Monday spoke with village officials and "confirmed that their continued interest in Arlington Park has not changed."
Still, the Bears' announcement put the plan to build a multibillion-dollar stadium on 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, which would include restaurants, retail space and real estate, in limbo. The village said in its statement that the possibility of the Bears picking another location had remained an option and that relocating to the village was never considered a done deal.
With the demolition of the former racetrack that started last year, the excitement of the Bears coming to town was in the air when team officials even met with the community to present sketches of their vision for the site.
But even with all the enthusiasm the team expressed, officials were transparent about having expectations about property taxes and the value of the site.
The village said while it was disappointed the team and local school districts hadn't resolved short-term property tax differences, they were confident those issues could be resolved. While Monday's news was not exactly what Arlington Heights officials and business leaders wanted to hear, they said they know what they need to do.
"We have all experienced the many twists and turns that this project has taken over the past three years and we find ourselves in a very similar situation today," Mayor Hayes said in a statement. "The Village's focus remains on finding a path forward to a successful redevelopment of the former Arlington Park site. The property remains a major asset to the community and region, and it has tremendous potential. The Village has always acted in good faith and partnership with the Chicago Bears and the School Districts throughout this discussion, while protecting our community's interests, and we will continue to do so as the process moves ahead."
Jon Ridler, executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, told CBS 2, "We knew they were gonna be doing their due diligence. We knew that this was part of the discussion and now we know what they're proposing in Chicago. Arlington Heights can now step up and we can showcase that we could do it better and we're the better choice for them. It's not a done deal and we want to continue the conversation."