The Chicago Bears move one step close to relocating to Arlington Heights, a city located 25 miles northwest of Chicago. As mentioned by John Breech CBS Sports, the Arlington Heights village board approved a zoning change that will allow a football stadium to be built on the 362-acre piece of land the Bears made a bid for earlier this month. Several things would have to happen before the Bears make the big move, but this move means a stadium can be built if they end up winning the property.
The land is currently owned by Churchill Downs, and they will make a decision on the winning bid. This is big for the Bears because they announced a partnership with Churchill Downs. The Daily Herald in Chicago reported that the Bears agreed to a multi-year deal with Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Illinois. The Churchill Downs has a controlling stake in the casino.
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“We recently submitted a bid to purchase the Arlington International Racecourse property,” Bears president Ted Phillips said in a statement. “It’s our obligation to explore every possible option to ensure we’re doing what’s best for our organization and its future. If selected, this step allows us to further evaluate the property and its potential.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is confident the Bears will stay in Chicago. “The Bears are locked into a lease at Soldier Field until 2033,” she said. “In addition, this announcement from the Bears comes in the midst of negotiations for improvements at Soldier Field. This is clearly a negotiating tactic that the Bears have used before. As a season ticket holder and longtime Bears fan, I am committed to keeping the ‘Chicago’ name in our football team. And like most Bears fans, we want the organization to focus on putting a winning team on the field, beating the Packers finally and being relevant past October. Everything else is noise.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently talked about the Bears moving and said it’s possible. “I don’t know the answer to that question other than to know this is a really early stage to develop potentially an alternative,” Goodell told 670 The Score. “But I think a lot has to be done here. I know their commitment to the Chicago area is 110 percent, and that’s the most important thing to me. We have a long lease at Soldier Field.”
