Bears stadium future in Illinois

You want dumb. Here goes.

At it's height, the Arlington Race track paid about $2.7 million per year before closing down. Cook County originally proposed to increase that figure to about $18 million per year after the Bears purchased. The Bear countered with an annual figure of $4.3 million.

After they reached an impasse, the Bear started asking Pritzker for $ billion in state financing to pay for a new stadium downtown.

The state should be thankful that the Bear don't need gov assistance (like most other states) take the money and stop f-cking around. The development will be more profitable than allowing residential development there which will tax our school system and other infrastructure. BAM.

Bears stadium future in Illinois

Axios News, Ap 21, 2026

By Justin Kaufmann, Carrie Shepherd and Monica Eng

The push for legislation to keep the Bears in Illinois is moving through Springfield as time runs short.

Why it matters: This may be Illinois' best — and possibly last — chance to keep the Bears, a franchise deeply tied to the state's identity and economy.

The latest: The Illinois House returns today, and lawmakers are expected to start pushing toward the goal line as early as this week.

The big picture: The impasse centers on how much the Bears would pay in property taxes, with a proposed "megaprojects" bill offering a way to negotiate those payments directly with local governments.

Arlington Heights leaders have signaled they're open to negotiating terms for the former Arlington Racecourse, where the team hopes to build.

The Bears are demanding "tax certainty" as they weigh Illinois against Indiana, which has already offered major incentives to lure the team to Hammond.

Yes, but: The bill was poised to pass in February before Chicago Democrats put the brakes on. They want to ensure the city doesn't lose revenue if the team leaves and that smaller developments could also benefit from the policy.

City Democrats also want the state to fund the Chicago Park District's $630 million plan to renovate Soldier Field to host concerts and events.

What they're saying: "This is the moment to make sure that there are opportunities for communities but also protect those communities from unintended consequences," Democratic state Rep. La Shawn Ford tells Axios.

Reality check: Democrats are divided: Some want to widen access to the tax break; others want to reserve it for larger projects. Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing a tiered approach to decide who qualifies.

Teachers' unions are also sounding the alarm, aiming to ensure any deal doesn't affect school funding, which largely comes from property taxes.

Zoom in: Democratic state Rep. Kam Buckner is advancing the new legislation that could include property tax relief for Illinois residents.

"It'll do something that the state has not done, that other states have not done in megaprojects legislation," Buckner told the Sun-Times yesterday.

"It'll actually consider how these things should be able to help regular taxpayers as well."

Zoom in: Democratic state Rep. Kam Buckner is advancing the new legislation that could include property tax relief for Illinois residents.

"It'll do something that the state has not done, that other states have not done in megaprojects legislation," Buckner told the Sun-Times yesterday.

"It'll actually consider how these things should be able to help regular taxpayers as well."