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“The focus now is both downtown and Arlington
Heights," Warren said at the NFL meetings. “These are not linear
processes or projects. They take time. They take a lot of energy
and effort. I am very, very pleased with where we are.”
Warren's comments marked a shift for the organization.
Though the Bears finalized the purchase of a 326-acre property
in Arlington Heights in February 2023, their main focus the past
year has been on building an enclosed stadium next to their
longtime home at Soldier Field. Their plan to transform
Chicago's Museum Campus got a full-throated endorsement from
mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Illinois Gov.
J.B. Pritzker and state legislators when it was unveiled last
April.
There have also been talks with developers of a tract of land on
the South Side about building a stadium and mixed-use
development on the site of the old Michael Reese Hospital. But
the team has rejected the 48.6-acre site in the past, saying it
was too narrow and that commuter train tracks presented
engineering challenges.
Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned
their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to
1970 or Soldier Field since then. The team hopes to start
construction this year.
In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan
for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail
and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site 30
miles from Soldier Field. Their focus shifted toward the Chicago
lakefront after Warren was hired as president two years ago to
replace the retiring Ted Phillips.
“Arlington Heights, I keep going back to it, it's an absolutely
fantastic piece of land,” Warren said. “To be able to have 326
acres that close to a wonderful city is difficult to do. I don't
know if it exists anywhere in the country.”
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