Bears meet with Arlington Heights community about stadium plan

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS)-- Thursday brought another step forward in the possibility that the Bears could leave Soldier Field and move to the suburbs.

The team hosted a meeting with the community in Arlington Heights Thursday night to talk about its ideas for redeveloping Arlington International Racecourse. The meeting was held in the gymnasium at John Hersey High School.

While fans got the chance to come face-to-face with the Bears front office, they weren't allowed to address them directly at the meeting Thursday night. Instead, everyone was allowed to submit questions on cards.

The focus of the evening was more on the bigger picture of how the stadium project could transform Arlington heights.

The Bears laid out plans for their estimated $5 billion project just days after unveiling renderings of what their new Arlington Park home could look like.

"The Bears will seek no public funding for direct stadium structure," said Bears Chairman George McCaskey.

But McCaskey said the team will need financial help to build out the entire site — which would include parks, fitness centers, hotels, housing, and a sports book for starters.

"We think development of the site – including a stadium – is a win for Bears fans, the Village of Arlington Heights, the surrounding communities, and the State of Illinois," McCaskey said.

The Bears front office said they actually weren't looking to leave Soldier Field. But with the closure of Arlington International Racecourse, leaders with Churchill Downs reached out to gauge the team's interest.

"If we move forward, we have to get it right," said Bears President and Chief Executive Officer Ted Phillips.

Phillips said the Bears are expected to close on the property in 2022 or 2023, but he stressed that even if the Bears close on the property, that does not mean they will develop it.

As CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported, the potential move has fans and Arlington Heights residents excited. Lines snaked around Hersey High School more than an hour before the start of the meeting

Arlington Heights resident Marilyn Smith favors the idea of the stadium.

"I think it'll also bring a lot of money into the city, so they say property values might go up," she said. "They're planning like restaurants and stores and everything there, so all that tax money is going to flow into the city – so I think it'll be a plus in the long run."

Bears fan Mark Quesse had concerns as a personal seat license holder at Soldier Field.

"One concern I that have is, you know, being a season ticket holder and a PSL owner, what's going to happen with those PSLs?" he said. "I saved for a good chunk of my life to get the money to do these PSLs, and now all of a sudden, could that go away? And that would be pretty tragic."

NFL insider Marc Ganis said earlier this week that legally, PSLs will indeed start fresh at a new stadium. But he said teams that are "really fan-centric" might offer existing PSL owners a first crack or a discount for new PSLs.

For his part, Quesse is still excited about the prospects of a new stadium.

"Very excited about it," Quesse said. "I think it will be easy in, and easy out from the expressway – and also right next to the Metra."

Last year, the Bears signed a $197 million purchase agreement with Churchill Downs for the 326-acre site of the former Arlington Park racecourse, and remain in negotiations on a contract for the site.  

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the city are fighting to keep the Bears in Chicago. The city announced plans to renovate Soldier Field this summer. But the odds that the Bears will go with the Arlington Heights option are growing more and more likely.

"We have a long way to go," McCasskey said. "There will be ebbs and flows with progress and setbacks."

At the meeting, the Bears reiterated that they will not engage in any other discussions about other locations - including the city of Chicago - while they are under contract for the site in Arlington Heights.

Part of the reason behind the Bears' proposed move is the size of Soldier Field. The iconic lakefront stadium only seats 61,500 fans – which published reports point out is actually 5,444 fewer fans than Soldier Field seated before it was rebuilt about 20 years ago.

By comparison, the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas holds 80,000 fans; the Packers' Lambeau Field in Green Bay holds 81,400 fans; and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey where the New York Giants and Jets play holds 82,500.

The Bears' lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, but they can get out in 2026 for a penalty of $84 million.

The Village Arlington Heights hasn't approved the massive new complex, which includes a domed stadium with commercial, retail, and housing. The village said they will "look forward to reviewing traffic, financial, and economic data" as they move forward.

CBS 2's Joe Donlon reported the general feeling in Arlington Heights before the meeting Thursday one of enthusiasm and excitement about the prospect of the Bears coming – but residents do have concerns and questions. Among the questions are what the impact will be on the village, particularly from a traffic and transportation standpoint.

"This town is a very friendly-type town," said Arlington Heights resident Buzz Gross. "I think for the businesses in this town, it's going to really make them blossom again."

"I think they need to consider the people that live in Rolling Meadows and the noise that might incur for those houses that back up to Euclid (Avenue)," said Arlington Heights resident Chris Petrik.

Maddie Plewacki has lived in Arlington Heights for five years and owns property there.

"It's exciting to have the Bears out here, but the concern is like the overcrowding," she said.

Emily Pacyga lives in Arlington Heights and manages a small business, The Eiffel Flower. Donlon asked her whether most of the visitors to the business are excited or have concerns.

"I think they're excited about the notion of it, but concerned for their homes as a homeowner. As a business owner, I don't think we're as concerned about it, and bringing more people in – more people, more sales, hopefully, she said. "But they're more concerned about residential."

As McCaskey noted at the meeting, Bears said they would not use any public money to build the domed stadium, but that would not necessarily apply to the entertainment district attached to the development. An organized effort is under way in Arlington Heights to make sure there is no public money used for any of the development.

Donlon talked with Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes about that and other issues Thursday.

Donlon: "Scale of one to 10 – 10 being a done deal – how likely is this to happen?"

Hayes: "Well, I think it's not quite a 10, but I think it definitely is pushing up there towards a seven or an eight. You know, we're not competing with the city of Chicago. The Bears are solely focused on this property and making it happen. So we're doing all we can to assist them in making that a reality."

Donlon: "The Bears want to be here. That's pretty clear. It's a great fit for them. Arlington Heights would love to have them as well. Who has the leverage here?"

Hayes: "Well, that's a really good question. The Bears understand what we are, you know, we're not the city of Chicago. We're a town of 77,000 people. We're very financially strong, but we want to make sure that this is a win-win for both the Chicago Bears and for the Village of Arlington Heights.

Donlon: "For people who don't want to see public money spent on this, why are you opposed to it?"

Hayes: "Because the ordinance is not just directed to the Bears. It's directed to any public assistance to any business in town – whether it's an existing business or a new business. So that's not in place in any other municipality in the state of Illinois, and so we're extremely opposed to it because it would really tie our hands."

Americans for Prosperity told CBS 2 Thursday afternoon the mayor is right. In a statement, the interest group said: "It's true – we want to ban corporate welfare across all of Arlington Heights, not just the Bears development. Corporate welfare programs don't work."

Meanwhile, the impact of the proposed Bears stadium on the northwest suburban area will be regional. Rolling Meadows abuts the stadium site to the west and south, and will want things from the development just as Arlington Heights will. CBS 2's Donlon also spoke Thursday to Rolling Meadows Mayor Joe Gallo.

Gallo: "There's an overall sentiment of enthusiasm from the residents of Rolling Meadows – albeit guarded enthusiasm at this time because of the phase we're in with the concept of the development, the opportunity of the development being on the forefront of doorstep. There are still a lot of unknown questions that need to be answered for residents.

Donlon: "The benefits are, but the concerns are?"

Gallo: "The benefits are opportunity – a lot of economic development, a lot of tourism and awareness. The perils that we might encounter is degradation of our roads and our infrastructure that may need to be attended to."

Donlon: "What are the most important factors to consider at this point?"

Gallo: "Most important – safety and security of our community, financial integrity and wellbeing of the city, and next, a good regional collaboration between all the neighboring communities – Palatine, Arlington Heights, Rolling Meadows, and Schaumburg to a degree as well."

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