The Chicago Bears have taken a big step forward in finding a new site for their stadium, and that momentum is moving fast toward Northwest Indiana.
On Thursday morning, Indiana lawmakers in the state House Ways and Means Committee unanimously approved an amendment to Indiana Senate Bill 27 that would pave the way for the Bears to move to Hammond. The proposal would create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance construction.
All this comes just over a week before Indiana lawmakers plan to adjourn for the year.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Hammond is ready to partner with the State of Indiana, the Chicago Bears, and will do whatever it takes to make this project a success and to welcome the Bears to their new home,” Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said in testimony Thursday. “This move by the State of Indiana and the Bears tells the rest of the country that Indiana is not just keeping up — it’s leading.”
The proposed site is in the area of Wolf Lake, which straddles the Illinois-Indiana state line along Interstate 90. The lake is half on Chicago’s Southeast Side, and half in Hammond.
“We listen to Chicago radio. We root for Chicago teams — especially the Bears,” McDermott said at the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee hearing Thursday morning. It’s the one team we can get behind in Northwest Indiana, and that’s hard to do.”
After the amendment advanced, the Bears issued a statement indicating they had a “vision” to build a stadium in Hammond:
“The passage of SB 27 would mark the most meaningful step forward in our stadium planning efforts to date. 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. We appreciate the leadership shown by Governor [Mike] Braun, Speaker [Todd] Huston, Senator [Ryan] Mishler and members of the Indiana General Assembly in establishing this critical framework and path forward to deliver a premier venue for all of Chicagoland and a destination for Bears fans and visitors from across the globe. We value our partnership and look forward to continuing to build our working relationship together.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun issued the following statement:
“Indiana is open for business, and our pro-growth environment continues to attract major opportunities like this partnership with the Chicago Bears. We’ve identified a promising site near Wolf Lake in Hammond and established a broad framework for negotiating a final deal. If approved, the proposed amendment to Senate Bill 27 puts forward the essential framework to complete this agreement, contingent upon site due diligence proceeding smoothly. The State of Indiana moves at the speed of business, and we’ve demonstrated that through our quick coordination between state agencies, local government, and the legislature to set the stage for a huge win for all Hoosiers. We have built a strong relationship with the Bears organization that will serve as the foundation for a public-private partnership, leading to the construction of a world-class stadium and a win for taxpayers.”
Illinois legislative hearing on potential tax breaks for Bears stadium canceled
It also comes as a pivotal Illinois legislative hearing in Springfield that would impact the future of the Chicago Bears that was scheduled for Thursday was canceled.
The hearing that was canceled concerned a controversial proposal to offer the Bears tax incentives and infrastructure support for a potential new stadium in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. But that hearing has been canceled.
CBS News Chicago is told lawmakers wanted to work through some additional details in the proposal, called the Mega Project Assessment Freeze and Payment Law, before bringing it forward.
The legislation would allow the Bears – or the developers of other projects costing at least $500 million – to negotiate with local government to lock in how much they would pay in property taxes for years to come.
Supporters have said that kind of tax certainty is what’s needed before the Bears invest billions into a new stadium and surrounding development, but critics have argued Illinois taxpayers shouldn’t be in the business of helping fund an NFL franchise.
The proposal would freeze the Bears’ property tax assessment for up to 40 years. While the Bears have said they would pay for the stadium themselves, they are seeking more than $850 million in state funding for necessary supporting infrastructure – such as new roads, upgraded utilities, and more.
Despite hitting pause, sources at the Illinois State Capitol said “good progress is being made.”
Supporters of the Illinois proposal have been warning about how Illinois is competing with Indiana, where leaders have been trying to lure the team for some time, and time is running out. Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia and other local leaders in the northwest suburb have called on Illinois lawmakers to approve the proposal.
There is also political pressure from Chicago to factor into any deal for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights. The Bears’ lease at their current stadium, Soldier Field, runs through 2033, and more than half a billion dollars of debt is still owed on the 2003 renovation of the stadium.
The Bears have been oscillating between several possible sites for future stadiums, pressing Chicago politicians for a new domed home on the lakefront that would have cost $4.7 billion including $2.4 billion in public funding; purchasing the former Arlington International Racecourse property in Arlington Heights for $197 million; and more recently, sending a letter to season ticket holders asking what they think about a move to Northwest Indiana.
Illinois lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker have staunchly opposed using taxpayer dollars to help fund a new NFL stadium in Illinois, but have said they are willing to help fund infrastructure improvements such as roads and utilities that would be needed for the project.
Pritzker called the lakefront Bears stadium proposal a “nonstarter,” and said public funding for a stadium would be bad for taxpayers. Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel “Chris” Welch agreed, saying on Jan. 7 that lawmakers were focused on affordability during their spring session, not a football stadium.
City of Hammond touts proximity of site to Chicago
The City of Hammond emphasized that Wolf Lake is 19 miles from downtown Chicago and under a half-hour drive. The city also emphasized the commuter rail connection by way of the South Shore Line, including a recent $1 billion investment in a new line serving commuters between Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
In language suggesting a done deal, the City of Hammond also said in its news release that “the Chicago Bears are not the first NFL team to call Hammond home.”
The Hammond Pros were founded in 1917, became a charter member team of the National Football League in 1920, and folded in 1926. The Pros were a traveling team — they didn’t have a home stadium in Hammond — but they were founded by Hammond businessmen.
The prospect of the Bears moving to Northwest Indiana is not new. In 1995, with the Bears’ lease on Soldier Field set to expire in four years, the team threw out a plan for a $482 million new stadium and entertainment complex in Gary, Indiana called Planet Park.
As reported by the Associated Press at the time, the complex on the southern shore of Lake Michigan would have included a three-tiered stadium with 9,000 club seats and 138 skyboxes, surrounded by a midway-entertainment concourse, a Bears hall of fame, and parking for 25,000 cars.
Ultimately, the Gary plan fell apart. Lake County, Indiana Council members refused to back the 0.5 percent income tax to fund the new stadium. The Bears ended up staying at Soldier Field, which underwent a massive renovation between 2001 and 2003.
The 804-acre Wolf Lake where the Bears are considering building their new stadium is close to the Hammond Horseshoe Casino and the BP Whiting Refinery.
While Wolf Lake rarely appears in the headlines in Chicago, it has a long and occasionally sordid history.
Gangsters used the lake to as a disposal site for bodies in the 1920s and 30s. In 1924, a culvert near Wolf Lake was also used by the infamous killers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb to dispose of the body of their victim, 14-year-old Bobby Franks.
Sports are not new to Wolf Lake. For a few years in the 1930s, a speedway motor was constructed in the middle of the lake — consisting of a dirt ring with water both inside and out, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources noted.
In December, the Indiana Economic Digest reported that a Wolf Lake site for the Bears would pose challenges. A local resident, Mark Dominiak, told the publication that he was concerned about encroachment on the natural and recreational features of the lake — where people hike, bicycle, boat, fish, play golf, and birdwatch.
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