A rendering of the proposed new stadium for the Chicago Bears on a redesigned Museum Campus. (Credit: Chicago Bears)
The Chicago Bears’ proposal for a new lakefront stadium — financed with a major assist from taxpayers — is a “non-starter” for Gov. J.B. Pritzker, though the team described its initial meeting with the governor’s office as “productive.”
Bears leadership on Wednesday presented the team’s plan via video conference to Pritzker’s chief of staff, Anne Caprara, and Deputy Gov. Andy Manar. Pritzker did not attend.
While answering reporters’ questions after delivering a speech to business groups, Pritzker said he didn’t “skip” the meeting, which he said he believed would be focused on mostly technical information — “I just have a busy schedule.”
The governor may have avoided some awkward moments with his absence.
In a statement, Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough panned the proposal in its current iteration.
“As the Governor has said, the current proposal is a non-starter for the state,” the statement reads. “In order to subsidize a brand new stadium for a privately owned sports team, the Governor would need to see a demonstrable and tangible benefit to the taxpayers of Illinois.”
The statement goes on to say that Pritzker is open to future conversations, “with the understanding that responsible fiscal stewardship of tax-payer dollars remains the foremost priority.”
That’s in tandem with Pritzker’s own remarks Wednesday, made before the governor said he had a readout of how the meeting between the football team and his top deputies had gone.
“This is going to take a little bit of time and it’s unclear whether there’s something that will be put on the table that the General Assembly can pass and that I can sign,” said Pritzker, a Democrat.
Still, Pritzker went out of his way not to close off any possibility of state support for a stadium rebuild.
“I didn’t say that there’s not ever the possibility of having a domed stadium in Chicago,” Pritzker said. “I have said, however, that it’s not a high priority for the taxpayer and very importantly, it’s got to be a great deal for taxpayers.”
The governor said he is “very hopeful that they (the Bears) can put something on the table,” but added that Illinois has been making “a lot of progress and making capital investments for the state, and nobody’s had a new stadium on that list.”
The Bears, meanwhile, issued a brief statement about Wednesday’s conversations with the governor’s office.
“We had a productive conversation with the Governor’s office,” the statement reads. “We share a commitment to protecting the taxpayers of Illinois and look forward to further discussions.”
A rendering of the proposed new stadium for the Chicago Bears on a redesigned Museum Campus. (Credit: Chicago Bears)
The Bears still own 326 acres of property in Arlington Heights, and last June demolished the racecourse and grandstand that had hosted thoroughbred races since 1985 — the year the Bears last won the Super Bowl.
More recently, however, the Bears have turned their sights back to Chicago, and last week the team unveiled a package that calls for a publicly owned stadium with a dome to be built next to Soldier Field, which the team proposes to demolish save for its iconic colonnades.
The Bears would pitch in $2 billion, plus use a $300 million loan from the NFL; billions more in taxpayer money would be used to finance the other half of the stadium as well as to make infrastructure improvements and add park and public space to the area.
Under the proposal, the bulk of the public money would be paid for by a 2% tax on hotel stays.
The Illinois Sports Facilities Authority is currently using that funding stream to pay off outstanding debt for 2003 renovations to Soldier Field and to the White Sox’s Guaranteed Rate Field, so the Bears’ plan calls for refinancing those bonds.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who stood alongside the Bears for the unveiling of the new stadium plans, has said that means tourists — not Chicago residents — will bear the cost.
Johnson said a new stadium and other improvements to Museum Campus would be a “true public investment.”
Financing may not be the only concern for the Bears.
The organization Friends of the Parks previously sued to prevent “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas from building a museum in the same location, citing legal protections for Chicago’s lakefront.
The White Sox are also seeking Springfield assistance to move out of Bridgeport for a new stadium near the South Loop, and the Red Stars are reportedly wanting to be part of public funding discussions as the women’s soccer team seeks to move its games out of suburban Bridgeview.
A rendering of the proposed new stadium for the Chicago Bears on a redesigned Museum Campus. (Credit: Chicago Bears)
Contact Amanda Vinicky: @AmandaVinicky | [email protected]
