Arlington Heights surprised by Bears plan for new Chicago stadium

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) – Leaders in northwest suburban Arlington Heights were caught off guard Monday when they received news of the Bears’ plan to spend $2 billion on a new stadium in Chicago.

Despite the surprise at the team’s apparent change of heart, there was still a lot of hope in the town. Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes said the town didn’t even receive a courtesy phone call from the Bears about the plan.

In a statement, the town said the Chicago Bears Football Club spoke with town officials Monday and “confirmed that its continued interest in Arlington Park has not changed.”

Still, the Bears’ announcement put the plan to build a multimillion-dollar stadium on 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, which would include restaurants, retail space and real estate, in limbo. The village said in its statement that the possibility of the Bears choosing another location remained an option and that moving to the village was never considered a done deal.

With demolition of the old racetrack beginning last year, excitement for the Bears’ arrival in town was in the air as team officials even met with the community to present sketches of their vision for the site.

But even with all the enthusiasm the team expressed, officials were transparent about their expectations about property taxes and the value of the site.

The village said that while it was disappointed that the team and local school districts had not resolved short-term differences in property taxes, they were confident those issues could be resolved. While Monday’s news wasn’t exactly what Arlington Heights officials and business leaders wanted to hear, they said they know what they need to do.

“We have all experienced the many twists and turns this project has taken over the past three years and today we find ourselves in a very similar situation,” Mayor Hayes said in a statement. “The Village’s focus remains on finding a path to a successful redevelopment of the former Arlington Park site. The property remains an important asset to the community and the region, and has tremendous potential. The Village has always acted in good faith and in partnership with “The Chicago Bears and school districts throughout this discussion, while protecting the interests of our community, and we will continue to do so as the process moves forward.”

Jon Ridler, executive director of the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, told CBS 2: “We knew they were going to do their due diligence. We knew this was part of the discussion and now we know what they are proposing in Chicago. Arlington Heights now can step forward and we can show that we can do better and that we are the best option for them. It’s not a done deal and we want to continue the conversation.”