So they want more concessions. Thanks for the answer though. It's far enough out of my realm I just don't follow that stuff much.
Chicago Bears bought Arlington Heights track only to build next to Soldier Field?
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So they want more concessions. Thanks for the answer though. It's far enough out of my realm I just don't follow that stuff much.
As a fan, totally agree.
But you think these sports teams, or corporations for that matter, care about ease of access of their business? A sports team knows they are a draw and people will figure out a way to make the trip there if they want to. Specifically for the bears in the greater metro area of 10 million people, 70-80k people (I don't know that actual capacity they are looking for) will make the trip for a game. This is all about tax incentives and other benefits that a city will give to the team.
Yeah, from a transit perspective Arlington Heights checks all the boxes. Easy interstate access, 20 minutes from O'Hare with typical traffic, Metra line with a station right at the proposed stadium location. It is going to be hard to find that at any of the other potential locations.
They do care if the plan is to include shopping and a casino/sportsbook on the stadium campus. The plans lean towards more than just a single use building in a sea of parking lots. They want the area to be a destination all year round.
I guess I'd think about the village they have planned too.
Would a Bears village and entertainment hub work in Aurora? Naperville?
I'm I going to drive from Libertyville to Naperville for a concert? Grab a beer?
Not sure. To me a downtown solution would still be best if the Bears owned the land and called the shots.
Something will get done one way or the other, but this is the typical dying city perfect storm. Everyone wants to wet their beak and piss on each other's legs.
Throw in some good ol' incompetence and I give you Chicago Illinois
Both Naperville and aurora are over an hour from the city depending on where you're leaving from and when. I don't see people like going from the city to aurora in the off-season to go to a bears specific entertainment district unless there's something you can't already do in the 3rd biggest city in the country.
Long video but spells out how the Rams and local governments navigated this much better than Chicago and the Bears.
Would that be a terrible idea? There is a lot of space out there which would allow the Bears to do whatever they want though it would limit appeal for events outside of football I guess. I don't know if you build it they will come. Maybe.
Extend the Metra line and rename it the "Bears Express"?
Have a gambling car and serve booze. It would be getting within driving distance of Iowa too. Tap into that Clinton market.
NIU to the Big 12
But it should be.
The state/City? Apparently told them a price on what taxes would be. Then once they bought it and had plans drawn the taxes were 5 times higher.
The city hasn't paid for the prior renovation either. What a complete **** show.
Know it doesn’t work economically since the city owns the site but I really wish they would just redevelop soldier field into a ‘Bears Village’ area. There are few things I hate more than suburb stadiums surrounded by miles of parking lots.
I want to be able to take a train to the game so I can drink and enjoy myself. I know the red line is far from soldier now, but you’ll probably be walking the same distance from your parking spot at AH to the stadium. There’s a reason Wrigley is considered more fun to many than the Royals’ stadium for example.
I want to be able to take a train to the game so I can drink and enjoy myself. I know the red line is far from soldier now, but you’ll probably be walking the same distance from your parking spot at AH to the stadium. There’s a reason Wrigley is considered more fun to many than the Royals’ stadium for example.
Also - a super bowl or final 4 would be so much cooler right downtown chicago than in Arlington Heights or Naperville. It’s a shame tbh
I think they're going to develop a lot more than just parking lots around the new stadium, assuming it's eventually built in a suburban location.
I haven't heard much about it, but a developer did purchase the air rights over the train tracks just west of LSD and has plans to cap them and develop on top. That would sit about halfway between the L and Soldier Field. Too bad the Bears didn't buy those rights. It wouldn't have changed the stadium ownership issue, but would have absolutely let them develop to their heart's content right across the street.
While we're on the topic of wishes, it would be great if everyone didn't bungle the Soldier Field rebuild 20 years ago.
The Tax problem is from Cook County, Arlington Heights is giving them a pretty good deal. I'd be surprised if DuPage or Will didn't suddenly re-assess the property they choose in Naperville either. Granted, DuPage and Will are no Cook for lining their pockets, but the only way the county gets a dip is on the property.
Hum. This just came out yesterday.
www.sportsmockery.com
Yet Another City Joins The Chicago Bears Stadium Chase
If people thought Arlington Heights had a monopoly on the Chicago Bears stadium negotiations, they were sorely mistaken. Things hit a wall this past month when three local school districts and Cook County officials set the value of the Arlington Park property at $197 million. That would force...
www.sportsmockery.com
The Bears were forced to purchase the Arlington Heights racetrack site before they had hammered out deals with local authorities. They are just scratching for leverage now, but I imagine it still ends up there, just going to cost a bit more. "Stadium negotiations" with other cities seems pretty transparent at this stage of the game.
