The long awaited plans for the Chicago Bears' new stadium have been announced and the team will be planning to stay in the city Chicago.
The Bears' new lakefront stadium will be designed to be "a world-class destination for a world-class city" according to the team's official release.
The new stadium in Chicago will be more than just the home of the Bears. The stadium is also expected to be utilized for various major events including Final Fours, the BIG 10 Championship, concerts and the opportunity to bid on hosting a potential Super Bowl in the future.
Based on the team's release, the stadium will "be one of the largest construction projects in Illinois history, representing $4.2 billion of direct capital investment and creating thousands of jobs for a regional workforce."
"The Chicago Bears are committed to contributing over $2 billion to a new, best-in-class enclosed stadium and multi-purpose recreational and cultural campus. The proposal represents a remarkable opportunity to put Chicago in position to compete for the world’s biggest sports and entertainment events—driving tourism and unlocking billions of dollars in economic impact to the region. Net financial gains from the public-private partnership will create increased revenue streams that can be used for underfunded city and state programs—an exclusive chance for Chicagoland and Illinois to capitalize on private investment."
Beyond the live events, the project will also include a year-round hub and public park available to all people to gather in Chicago's lakefront. Included in the surrounding areas will be 14 acres of athletic fields and recreational spaces for local sports groups and athletics.
One major feature of the stadium that will be met with mixed feelings is that the new renderings show that the stadium will in fact be under a fixed closed dome on the lakefront. For years, Soldier Field in Chicago has been recognized for battling through the elements but now the future of the Bears' games will be played indoors. This will be similar to the domes used by SoFi Stadium, US Bank Stadium and Allegiant Stadium.
Another similar feature of the stadium will be a massive glass window behind one of the endzone, similar to AT&T Stadium, that will look directly to the Chicago skyline.
As for the stadium funding, the stadium itself will be partially funded by $2 billion from the Bears ownership and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson noted that the project will result in no new taxes for the people of Chicago.
"All of these year round attractions the city of Chicago will generate significant new revenue that will support my commitment to invest in people to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago," Mayor Johnson said during the press conference. "Simply put this is going to reinvigorate the entire city of Chicago, it will be the crown jewel of the city of Chicago. And with this new project, we are showing the world what Chicago is capable of. I'm proud to be up here today."
The Bears are expected to remain playing at Soldier Field during the construction of the new stadium and then will move into the new stadium once it is completed. The initial plan is to open the stadium by 2028 if it can get approval during this current state legislative session and begin construction.
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