Chicago mayor proposes renovations to keep Bears at Soldier Field; team says no thanks

Mayor Lori Lightfoot of Chicago on Monday unveiled several multi-billion-dollar proposals aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears from leaving the city’s Soldier Field for a new stadium in Arlington Heights on the property currently occupied by Arlington Park.

Lightfoot’s proposals included constructing a dome at Soldier Field or rebuilding the stadium so that a dome could be constructed at the site. Another option would convert the facility to a multi-purpose, year-round venue. Lightfoot provided no mechanism to fund the proposals.

In response to the announcement of the proposals, the Bears released a statement saying that the “only potential project” the team is exploring is a “a new stadium development at Arlington Park.” The Bears reached an agreement to buy the 326-acre Arlington property from Churchill Downs Inc. last year, but the sale is not scheduled to close until the first quarter of next year, if not later, according to Churchill Downs officials.

“As part of our mutual agreement with [Churchill], we are not pursuing alternative stadium deals or sites, including renovations to Soldier Field, while we are under contract,” the statement said. “We have informed the City of Chicago that we intend to honor our contractual commitments as we continue our due diligence and predevelopment activities on the Arlington Heights property.”

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The announcement of the sale last year created an outcry from members of the horseracing community, who noted that Churchill Downs successfully lobbied for legislation to obtain the rights to operate a casino on the property but then turned the license down because of dissatisfaction with the state tax rates. Churchill did not apply for racing dates for 2022, and the Arlington property lies dormant.

Since the announcement of the $200 million sale, a Churchill official acknowledged at a meeting of the Illinois Racing Board late last year that the company was lobbying the state legislature on racing-related matters, but the official would not provide details on what the company was seeking. Churchill owns a majority interest in Illinois’s most lucrative casino, which is located 15 miles from Arlington.

This year, Churchill moved nine of Arlington’s most prestigious stakes to its track in Louisville.

Soldier Field is owned by the City of Chicago. Its last major renovation was completed in 2003, using $423 million of taxpayer money. The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971, and prior to the construction of the stadium, they played at Wrigley Field in the heart of Chicago.

Churchill Downs stock closed on Monday at $217.38. The stock has been up 8.7 percent over the past 30 days, after declining 8.1 percent during the market sell-off since the beginning of the year.