Bears' potential move to Indiana takes step forward

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears' potential move to Indiana took another step forward Thursday when a key committee approved a plan to create an agency that would help get a stadium built.The Indiana House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee passed a bill establishing a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority to finance, construct and lease a stadium by a 24-0 margin. The Bears are looking at a tract of land near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Ind."The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date," the team said in a statement. "We are committed to finishing the remaining site-specific necessary due diligence to support our vision to build a world-class stadium near the Wolf Lake area in Hammond, Indiana."Republican Gov. Mike Braun and lawmakers in Indiana have been aggressive in trying to lure the founding NFL franchise across the state line amid a yearslong effort to build an enclosed stadium in Illinois. The Bears did not mention Illinois in their statement.The Illinois House Revenue and Finance Committee was scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday morning on a bill that would allow the Bears and any other developer of a large enough project to negotiate long-term property tax rates with local taxing bodies. But that got canceled."Illinois was ready to move this bill forward," Matt Hill, a spokesman for Gov. JB Pritzker posted on X. "After a productive three-hour meeting yesterday, the Bears leaders requested the (Illinois General Assembly) pause the hearing to make further tweaks to the bill. This morning, we were surprised to see a statement lauding Indiana and ignoring Illinois."The Bears' focus for a new home had fluctuated between a tract of land they own in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.They have said they plan to pay for the stadium construction on the site of a former racetrack about 30 miles northwest of their longtime home at Soldier Field, though they would need assistance to complete the project.According to a team consultant report released in September, they are seeking $855 million in public funding for infrastructure in order to build a stadium in Arlington Heights that could host Final Fours and Super Bowls. The Bears were also hoping the Illinois legislature would pass a bill last October to freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects such as the stadium that would have allowed them to begin construction in 2025. But that didn't happen.In September 2022, the Bears unveiled a nearly $5 billion plan for Arlington Heights that also called for restaurants, retail and more, when they were finalizing the purchase of that site.Their focus moved toward building a new stadium next to Soldier Field after Kevin Warren was hired as president three years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips. The plan to transform Chicago's Museum Campus got an enthusiastic endorsement from Mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Pritzker and state legislators when it was announced in April 2024.Last spring, the team announced it was turning its attention back to Arlington Heights, citing "significant progress" with local leaders.Since moving to Chicago in 1921, the Bears have never owned their stadium, whether playing at Wrigley Field from 1921 to 1970 or Soldier Field since then.