The Chicago Bears generated eager curiosity from followers and non-fans alike Thursday for a presentation of plans for a brand new domed stadium and leisure district in Arlington Heights.
Team officers drew applause after they mentioned the stadium could be enclosed, and that the group wouldn’t negotiate renovations at Soldier Field whereas pursuing the Arlington deal.
Bears Chairman George Halas McCaskey famous that many members of the McCaskey household that personal the group have lived within the northwest suburbs, together with Arlington Heights.
“We want to be good neighbors,” McCaskey instructed the gang. “We want what’s best for the community.”
The multibillion greenback challenge might take 10 years or extra to finish, McCaskey mentioned. He mentioned the group would want authorities funding to assist make the challenge grow to be a actuality.
“The Bears will seek no public funding for direct stadium structure construction,” McCaskey mentioned. “However … we will need help.”
Without infrastructure help and “property tax certainty,” McCaskey mentioned, “the project as described tonight will not be able to move forward.”
Team leaders repeatedly mentioned that the 20 most up-to-date stadium development initiatives within the nation had included public financing.
“We’re not asking for property taxes to be raised in Arlington Heights to fund the stadium construction,” McCaskey mentioned. “It’s not our part to say that property taxes for Arlington Heights residents won’t go up, but that might be for reasons that have nothing to do with this construction.”
Bears President Ted Phillips promised a “first-class experience” for followers, and to include public suggestions into the plans.
The plan additionally doubtlessly consists of higher-density multifamily residential buildings and decrease density townhomes officers mentioned, with buildings sometimes reaching 4 to eight tales close to the adjoining Metra prepare station.
Planning consultants described a Station Square with locations to go earlier than and after the sport, with places of work, retail, residential buildings and a lodge.
The residential buildings would possible be two to eight tales with residences and townhomes.
Conceptual plans included a pond with a ship home for kayaking and canoeing, and “perhaps” a efficiency venue.
New entrances to the grounds would come with off-ramps from Route 53 that might go beneath Northwest Highway to the stadium, and new entrances off Euclid Avenue.
The crowd appeared receptive to the plans, applauding at varied factors in the course of the presentation.
“Will tailgating be allowed? Oh yeah, baby,” Phillips mentioned.
And when officers mentioned there could be no on line casino on the location, the gang cheered.
The group plans to have extra parking capability than what’s at present accessible at Soldier Field, they mentioned. They deliberate to develop capability for one more soccer necessity, too.
Brenda Zolott of Arlington Heights was taking notes in the back of the room.
“If I could snap my fingers and have it all materialize right now, I would. It’s giving me motivation to stay alive. If it happens soon enough, I might even be able to work in the retail section.”
When group management introduced “there is no plan B” for a special property improvement, she applauded.
People lined up two hours forward of time for the 7 p.m. assembly, and the gang stretched across the constructing and out to the car parking zone of John Hersey High School within the northwest suburb.
Before the assembly began, these attending raised considerations about property taxes, site visitors, and preserving the racetrack on the location of Arlington International Racecourse.
A handful of political advocates labored the road, handing out pamphlets encouraging residents to get entangled in efforts to forestall public cash from going into the proposed redevelopment.
“Property taxes are my main concern,” mentioned Justin Hegy, 37, of Palatine, who lives a few mile from the location, and wore a Bears shirt to the assembly. “Our property taxes keep going up every year.”
If taxes stayed the identical, Hegy mentioned, as a Bears fan, “I’d love it if they were in my backyard. I’ll ride my bike to the game.”
During the assembly, officers mentioned property taxes ought to be considerably greater than that generated by the racetrack.
Lisa Miller had taken day off of her job at Whole Foods to get in line earlier than 5 p.m. She is a Palatine resident, however mentioned she lives subsequent to the racetrack and has fond recollections of spending time there as a toddler rising up in Arlington Heights.
Miller instructed the Tribune she remembered watching and crying when the observe burned down in 1985, and watching its reconstruction. She purchased her home partially as a result of it seemed out onto the observe, she mentioned.
She mentioned she needed to see the Bears take note of parking and site visitors within the neighborhood surrounding the location.
“I want kids to be able to walk in my neighborhood,” she mentioned. “During any big huge racetrack events, that was not the case.”
She is against public cash funding the event, together with the proposed leisure district. But if the challenge strikes forward, she mentioned she would need to see “local farm-to-table restaurants” and smaller neighborhood occasions, like a farmers’ market, on the facility as soon as it was constructed.
Miller additionally mentioned she needed to see the Bears proceed the custom of getting fireworks on July 4th.
“I bought my house, if I walk out to the end of my driveway, I could see the fireworks every Fourth of July,” she mentioned. “And that would be really great if the Bears were to continue that tradition.”
Linda Gaio lives “a seven-minute walk” from the location. She mentioned she’d heard rather a lot about how the proposal would enhance the worth of her house, however was skeptical. “My increased home value doesn’t mean anything unless I sell my house,” she mentioned.
Gaio had two principal questions for the Bears. One was what number of of her tax {dollars} would fund the challenge.
“I want to know if this is going to cost us anything,” she mentioned. She needed to know “if they could give us some sort of documentation, or maybe there’s some website or something where we could check the progress of these talks and the negotiations and how it’s gonna affect us residents.”
Gaio’s second concern was whether or not the group deliberate to protect any a part of the present facility.
She mentioned it will be “the cherry on top — highly unlikely — if we could at least keep an element of the historic property, make it into a central arena or grandstand and make that into offices and all that stuff.”
Gerald Barrett, who owns Tugo Tea House in Arlington Heights, mentioned he’s cautiously optimistic in regards to the Bears’ arrival within the village due to the shoppers it might appeal to for companies like his.
“What I’ve seen in the past in some cities, is that these sports centers are like year-round activity centers,” Barrett mentioned. “There’s an opportunity for small businesses in the area to maybe work with the organization, and maybe have a concession year-round.”
He’s unsure in regards to the concept of utilizing taxpayer {dollars} to assist the Bears redevelop the location, however needed to see extra detailed plans earlier than making up his thoughts.
“If the Bears have the ability to do it on their own, they should do it on their own,” he mentioned.
He mentioned he’d need to see proof that the redevelopment would profit the neighborhood past creating jobs if he have been going to help public cash into the challenge.
The group mentioned its “best-in-class” enclosed stadium will likely be worthy of internet hosting international occasions such because the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff and Final Four.
It’s all proposed for the 326-acre web site of Arlington International Racecourse, which closed completely to horse racing final 12 months.In 2021, the Bears introduced a purchase order settlement to purchase the park from Churchill Downs Inc. The group is vetting varied points of the preliminary deal earlier than anticipating closing late this 12 months or early subsequent 12 months.
To make a transfer, the group must pay to interrupt its lease at Soldier Field in Chicago. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed topping the stadium with a $2 billion dome, however the Bears have mentioned they don’t seem to be negotiating with the town whereas the group is pursuing the Arlington deal.
The group’s announcement of its plans Tuesday included repeated warnings that the deal will depend on assembly varied necessities, corresponding to, “If we do close on the property, it does not guarantee we will develop it.”
The Bears mentioned they might not ask for public cash to construct the stadium however would search taxpayer funding to assist develop the mixed-use space.
The group projected, with out but offering documentation, that development would have a $9 billion financial impression, with subsequent annual stimulus of 9,750 jobs and $1.4 billion yearly.
Economists have regularly questioned such projections, warning that sports activities stadiums don’t sometimes make an excellent return on funding for governmental our bodies.
Americans for Prosperity-Illinois, a part of a nationwide libertarian group backed by the conservative Koch brothers, introduced a petition to the village board Tuesday, looking for to ban public funding for the Bears or every other personal improvement.
The group additionally launched a ballot that discovered a majority of Arlington Heights voters supported the Bears coming to their village however opposed utilizing tax {dollars} for the transfer.
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes has mentioned taxpayer contributions to the challenge could be a “last resort,” however has defended incentives corresponding to tax increment financing, or TIFs. A TIF would use will increase in property tax revenues on the racetrack web site to assist with the property’s improvement.
The assembly is merely informational and the plans are nonetheless imprecise. The village would nonetheless maintain separate public hearings to contemplate any particular Bears proposal.
Julian Aguilar was outdoors the assembly working the road on behalf of Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian political advocacy group that’s organizing a petition to bar public cash from going to any enterprise entity seeking to arrange in Arlington Heights — together with the Bears.
He mentioned he’d had a “legit friendly debate” with a number of of the residents in line.
“There’s a lot of people who think we don’t want the Chicago Bears here,” he mentioned. “Our big thing is just to make sure we protect Arlington Heights taxpayer dollars.”
Regardless, Aguilar mentioned, “It’s going to have a long-term effect on the residents here.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com