
The Chicago Bears’ stadium saga continues on as the franchise is focusing on two spots. One of those sites is the old Arlington Racetrack which the Bears purchased a few years ago. But as of recently, the Bears have begun to explore a site in Northwest Indiana.
While Chicago has put out statements for both sites, they have yet to commit to one. Now, there are some factors involved in terms of why the Bears haven’t picked a site just yet. But for President Kevin Warren, he envisions the franchise making a decision very soon.
With the NFL in Phoenix this week for the annual league meetings, Warren is there and is making the media rounds early. He appeared on ProFootballTalk with Chris Simms and Mike Florio. Among the things they discussed was the ongoing stadium saga for the Bears.
During the interview, he revealed a potential timeline set for this Spring.
“We have the legislation passed in Indiana, and they’ve been a great partner to work with,” Warren said. “We are going through legitimate due diligence because we have working through traffic, and construction items, and transportation and all those kinds of different things. It’s progressing right on pace.
“Illinois, they’re still working on legislation and we have a wonderful piece of land in Arlington Heights — 326 acres. So we don’t have a set deadline, but I am confident that sometime this spring/summer, we’ll know.”
The Bears are committed to building a world-class environment with a fixed roof Warren said. That will allow them to host multiple other events throughout the year, earning more revenue. The only hiccup seems to be where the stadium site will actually be.
Warren also ruled out any potential chance the team would stay in the city of Chicago.
“We strongly believe the only site in the state of Illinois and Cook County is Arlington Heights,” Warren said. “Because when you see that property, having 326 acres with the train station there, the things that we would be able to do — there are some great sites, we talked a couple of years ago about doing something at the Museum campus. There was not an appetite at that point in time there. And there are some other sites that just don’t fit.”
Time will tell which location they choose.
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