The Chicago Bears are asking for $855 million in public funding to build the infrastructure surrounding their new domed stadium planned for suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois.
The Associated Press reports the real estate consulting firm HR&A Advisors Inc. issued a report on behalf of the team that stated the public funds would “set the stage” for a mixed-use development adjacent to the stadium. These funds would pay for the construction of the roads and sewers at the site along with a modification to a commuter rail line next to the venue.
The Bears initially insisted they would pay for the stadium itself, with team president Kevin Warren claiming the new stadium would “require zero state money for construction.” However, Warren also insisted that the state legislature pass a bill freezing property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium.
Gov. JB Pritzker did not issue an immediate comment on the Bears’ request. An earlier proposal by the team to build a new stadium next to their current home at Soldier Field in Chicago was not enthusiastically welcomed by Pritzker.
