Officials from the team, city, and state gathered for a public presentation on Wednesday to expand on the plans for the domed stadium and community gathering place. The Bears envision a 4.6 billion stadium development in a parking lot south of Soldier Field that would also include 14 acres of athletic fields and green park space, an ice-skating rink in winter, and potential developments like a sports culture museum or publicly owned hotel. The plan calls for $3.2 billion for the new stadium plus an additional $1.5 billion in infrastructure. The Bears would continue to play at Soldier Field, the oldest stadium in the NFL, until the project is completed via three phases, the last of which would conclude in summer 2028. Construction would begin in summer 2025.
The new stadium would feature a translucent roof and large windows with views of Chicago, similar to features seen at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood or U.S. Bank in Minnesota, but Soldier Field’s famed colonnades would be preserved, the team said. The Bears have committed $2 billion toward the project, but would need additional funding in the form of a $300 million loan from the NFL Stadium program and $900 million from the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which involve extending bonds of an existing 2% hotel tax.
In addition to NFL games, the stadium would host events like concerts year-round and be an option for Super Bowls, college basketball’s Final Four, and soccer. Officials say the stadium project would create 43,000 construction jobs and have an $8.4 billion impact during construction. Once built, it would create 4,000 permanent jobs and an ongoing $455 million economic impact, officials said.
“This is a beautiful day for the city of Chicago. It really is,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “As a lifelong Bears fan, it is an honor to be here to celebrate the Bears commitment to remaining the Chicago Bears. Any new development project on the lakefront has to have real private investment, real public use, and real economic participation for the entire city. Today’s announcement delivers on all three.”
There remains some notable skeptics of the proposal, though. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who was not present at the press conference, said Wednesday that he doesn’t see why taxpayers should foot the bill for a significant portion of the project.
“I remain skeptical about this proposal, and I wonder whether it’s a good deal for the taxpayers,” Pritzker said, via the Chicago Tribune. “There are a lot of priorities that the state has, and I’m not sure that this is among the highest priorities for taxpayers.”
Illinois’ top legislative leaders also expressed doubt.
“If we were to put this issue on the board for a vote right now, it would fail and it would fail miserably,” Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said, according to the Associated Press. “There is no environment for something like this today.”
The Bears have called Soldier Field home since 1971, but it is the smallest stadium in the NFL, with a capacity of 61,500. The team’s current lease runs through 2033.
Several NFL teams have left city centers for the suburbs in recent years, including the New York Giants and New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders.
“We feel that the time is now,” Bears President Kevin Warren said, noting that the longer it takes for decisions to be made, the more expensive the project will become.
The team had previously purchased 326 acres of racetrack property in Arlington Heights for $197.2 million but have not begun developing the site, citing a property assessment it said was too high, the Associated Press reported.
