Bears president uncertain if Arlington Heights is 'viable option' for new stadium

Kevin Warren, the new president of the Chicago Bears, cast some uncertainty on the team's new stadium plans during an invitation-only meeting in Arlington Heights.

Warren, who was the Big Ten commissioner for four years before taking the post with the Bears, met with residents of the suburban town to answer questions about the proposed stadium, which would replace Solider Field. The team purchased the site of a former racetrack for $197 million and has begun the demolition process. However, a significant hurdle between razing the land and starting construction is the county tax assessment.

"We do need a new home for the Chicago Bears,” Warren said at the invitation-only meeting, via NBC Sports Chicago. “We have to figure out if Arlington Heights is legitimately a viable option or is it not. This has nothing to do with personal feelings. This is strictly business. And I just want to make sure that we're all on the same page and figure out if this is something that will work."

According to a report from NBC Sports Chicago, there's a dispute between the Bears and Cook County over how much the team should pay in property taxes:

Officials from three local school districts – Palatine, Northwest Suburban High School District 214, and Palatine-Schaumburg District 211 – want the Bears to pay $7.9 million in taxes after the Cook County Assessor re-assessed the Arlington Park Racecourse property. That triennial re-assessment, which is in dispute, set the value of the Arlington Park property at $197 million, a massive increase from the $33 million assessment in 2021. That increase would raise the Bears’ annual property tax bill from $2.8 million to $16.2 million.

Churchill Downs, the Cook County Assessor, and the school districts reached an agreement for the former owner of the racecourse to pay $95 million in property taxes for last year. That deal will only last one year, and the Bears will have to negotiate it again. In a letter from Warren to the school districts obtained by NBC 5 Investigates, the Bears president called the $95 million number a “non-starter.” Warren countered with a $52 million value for the land, noting the tax bill would only increase once the stadium is built.

Other suburbs have reached out to the Bears about building a new stadium in their towns. Officials in Waukegan, Naperville and Aurora have sent official letters to the team, and the Bears have had discussions with Naperville. (Aurora hasn't had an official response, per the Daily Herald.)

The debate of stadium finances, whether for construction or future revenues, is nothing new for Warren. As an executive vice president for the Minnesota Vikings, he shepherded the development of U.S. Bank Stadium, which replaced the aging Metrodome in 2016.

Soldier Field is the oldest stadium used by a NFL team, opening in 1924. The Bears have played there since 1971. It underwent a massive renovation in 2002, which lowered its capacity but caused the venue to be delisted from its former landmark status. Compared to the majority of the league, the Bears are quite late to the new stadium party as all but six teams have moved into or began their existence in a new venue since 1995.