Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor has joined different Chicagoland communities in making an attempt to lure the Chicago Bears to their municipality.
Taylor advised to Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren in a letter written Monday that the Bears construct a brand new stadium on lakefront property in Waukegan, increasing the workforce’s footprint in Lake County.
Taylor stated in her letter there are a number of areas with the mandatory land to construct a stadium and leisure space with easy accessibility to Interstate 94, U.S. Route 41 and public transportation. The Bears already prepare in Lake Forest, making Waukegan a superb location for a stadium, she wrote.
“The City of Waukegan has multiple large parcels including lakefront property which could be developed into both the state of the art stadium and entertainment district the team has publicly expressed in building,” Taylor stated within the letter.
The Bears acquired the previous Arlington International Race for $197 million with plans to construct a stadium and enormous growth there. Naperville lately started discussions with the workforce to find in that suburb, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated he’ll make an effort to maintain the workforce within the metropolis.
Bears Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications Scott Hagel stated in an electronic mail Tuesday the workforce issued an announcement June 2 about doubtlessly speaking to different suitors, and the workforce’s place has not modified since then.
While the Bears will proceed with the present demolition work in Arlington Heights, the workforce stated in its assertion it’s speaking to different municipalities about potential areas due to latest developments with the Arlington Heights location.
“The property’s original assessment at five times the 2021 tax value, and the recent settlement with Churchill Downs for 2022 being three times higher, fails to reflect the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state,” the workforce stated within the assertion.
While the Bears proceed to think about areas aside from Chicago or Arlington Heights, Lake County Partners President and CEO Kevin Considine stated Waukegan is a spot worthy of consideration. Halas Hall, the workforce’s follow facility, is lower than 15 miles away from the town’s lakefront.
“From what we see, there are a number of potential sites for a Bears stadium in the Chicago area and Waukegan is absolutely one of them,” Considine stated. “We understand the Bears needs, and we have the ability to meet them. The Chicago Bears have been an important community partner in Lake County for a long time.”
Along with a historical past of coaching in Lake County because the first Halas Hall was constructed on the campus of Lake Forest College in 1978, Taylor stated in her letter Waukegan can provide the workforce a possibility to proceed to play alongside Lake Michigan which the opposite suburbs bidding to host the stadium can not.
“We believe that the Monsters of the Midway deserve the opportunity to continue the tradition of playing along the shores of Lake Michigan, with the market opportunity of having a year-round facility capable of hosting other major events, including the Super Bowl, the Final Four and other events of an international scale,” Taylor wrote within the letter.”
This is a growing story. Check again for updates.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com