Bears receive disappointing news on Arlington Heights stadium project

Saturday was a key deadline for the Bears’ hopes of starting construction this year, as the legislative session ended Saturday. Per Alex Ortiz of Fox 32, lawmakers passed a $55 billion budget with new taxes, but the plan did not include funding for the new stadium.

“The final budget plan was passed without some key issues addressed, including added funding to prevent a fiscal cliff facing the region’s public transit agencies and funding for a new Bears stadium,” Ortiz wrote.

Better luck on the Bears’ stadium next year

Per Robert McCoppin of the Chicago Tribune, a memorandum the Bears agreed to with School Districts 15, 211, and 214 set current property taxes for the Arlington Heights location and made the process clear for further development.

“The agreement set the property tax on the site at $3.6 million a year through 2027,” McCoppin wrote. If the Bears apply for construction and operation of an NFL stadium by the end of 2027, the property tax would extend through 2030, or until construction starts.

“Most importantly, the memorandum calls for creation of a Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT, district for the area. Such an arrangement would require state lawmakers’ approval, which the parties agreed to seek. With the spring legislative session scheduled to end Saturday, time is running out to do so immediately, which would be necessary to meet Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren’s goal to begin construction this year.”

Like former head coach Matt Eberflus found out at the end of the Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, the Bears have run out of time.

Here’s a phrase many Bears fans know all too well: Better luck next year.