Bears shift some of their focus for new stadium back to suburbs, with Chicago still in play

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PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Chicago Bears seemed to shift at least some of their attention for a new stadium back to the suburbs, with president Kevin Warren saying Wednesday the team's focus is split between a tract of land it owns in Arlington Heights and the Chicago lakefront.

“The focus now is both downtown and Arlington Heights," Warren said at the NFL meetings. “These are not linear processes or projects. They take time. They take a lot of energy and effort. I am very, very pleased with where we are.”

Warren's comments marked a shift for the organization.

Though the Bears finalized the purchase of a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights in February 2023, their main focus the past year has been on building an enclosed stadium next to their longtime home at Soldier Field. Their plan to transform Chicago's Museum Campus got a full-throated endorsement from mayor Brandon Johnson but a tepid reception from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and state legislators when it was unveiled last April.

There have also been talks with developers of a tract of land on the South Side about building a stadium and mixed-use development on the site of the old Michael Reese Hospital. But the team has rejected the 48.6-acre site in the past, saying it was too narrow and that commuter train tracks presented engineering challenges.

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. The team hopes to start construction this year.

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 30 miles from Soldier Field. Their focus shifted toward the Chicago lakefront after Warren was hired as president two years ago to replace the retiring Ted Phillips.

“Arlington Heights, I keep going back to it, it's an absolutely fantastic piece of land,” Warren said. “To be able to have 326 acres that close to a wonderful city is difficult to do. I don't know if it exists anywhere in the country.”

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