Make Fun of the Bears' Stadium Woes in Here

[Outshined_One]

This is getting embarrassing.

Quote

In a joint statement, Johnson and Warren said, "We continued our productive discussion this week that began in early June. We plan to have regular dialogue with each other and across our respective staffs as we work together to meet the needs of the citizens of Chicago and Bears fans."

It was not immediately clear what possible locations were discussed for the Chicago football team.

I'm just flummoxed.  How the horsefeathers can this team claim to be doing its due diligence now when it spent tens of millions of dollars purchasing and demolishing a parcel, only to find out that Arlington Heights, Cook County, and Illinois wouldn't give them preferential tax treatment?

[Old Style]

Hold on to your hat but the Bears organization is very poorly run. I know this may come as a shock to you but the sooner you accept it the happier you’ll be. 

[Brian707]

Yeah the ownership is a joke. Been that way since Halas died. 

 

[CubinNY]

14 hours ago, Old Style said:

Hold on to your hat but the Bears organization is very poorly run. I know this may come as a shock to you but the sooner you accept it the happier you’ll be. 

At the very least one would think that they'd hire a lobbyist, and team of lawyers who could help shepherd them through the financial labyrinth of working with local and state governments. That's the first order of business.  

[minnesotacubsfan]

IDK, maybe I'm in the minority but I'd be delighted if the bumbling Bears inadvertently ended up paying massive development/entitlement fees and taxes. Anytime a developer can be held accountable to them is a good time.

 

 

[Brian707]

Looks like the Bears are NOT going to Arlington Heights but instead building in the south lot. According to NBC sports Chicago. 

[jersey cubs fan]

1 hour ago, Brian707 said:

Looks like the Bears are NOT going to Arlington Heights but instead building in the south lot. According to NBC sports Chicago. 

I think this story is just that they are proposing to build a new dome and “offering” to provide $2B in financing but this would still need public support and have to go through a ton of hoops. Still just part of the process.

[Brian707]

Yeah true and who knows maybe this is all a huge bluff towards Arlington Heights 

[UMFan83]

6 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Didn’t they just get a stadium? 

I see they’re using the language “publicly owned” stadium. Wtf does the public want or need a stadium for? 

Super Bowl, Final Four, Wrestlemania, B1G Championship, CFP Championship, other major events that require a mega stadium. 
 

Not arguing whether those infrequent events make it worth putting public money towards a stadium but I’m sure that plays into it

[Cubfanintheknow]

Bears are allegedly putting up $2 billion toward the cost. But I'll believe that when I see Virginia sign the check. 

[WrigleyField 22]

1 minute ago, Cubfanintheknow said:

Bears are allegedly putting up $2 billion toward the cost. But I'll believe that when I see Virginia sign the check. 

They'll get a cut from the NFL that I'm sure they're counting in the $2B.  Much of the rest could come in form of creative financing that won't require 1B+ up front 

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Fair answer. I get the feeling if the entire public actually had a say they wouldn’t care about any of that stuff, wouldn’t even know what most of it is. At the same time absolutely could see the possibility of even one of those events every gazillion years featuring prominently in the case for

Yeah it would be interesting to see how popular Chicago is as a large events destination for those types of events.  They will surely get at least 1 of most of those but whether they will fall into the "circuit" of stadiums that frequently host these things will remain to be seen.

If the Bears are really putting up $2B (I know some of that will go towards the land around the stadium too), its definitely going to be one of the nicer stadiums in the league 

[jersey cubs fan]

4 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Didn’t they just get a stadium? 

I see they’re using the language “publicly owned” stadium. Wtf does the public want or need a stadium for? 

They play in a publicly owned stadium that is 100 years old and was renovated (poorly) in 2002/03. 

[Banedon]

Some quick, likely extremely inaccurate measurements with Google Maps makes it seem like the parking lot space they're talking about is smaller than the current Soldier Field footprint.

[UMFan83]

1 hour ago, Banedon said:

Some quick, likely extremely inaccurate measurements with Google Maps makes it seem like the parking lot space they're talking about is smaller than the current Soldier Field footprint.

This might be an extremely dumb question but couldn't they fill in some of Burnham Harbor to give them more space to work with?  Of course the people who keep their boats in that marina might have a thing or two to say about that. 

I really hope there is public transit built into the plan too because moving the stadium south of Soldier Field makes it an even longer walk from downtown

Edit: Also thinking about it, a lot of Soldier Fields' footprint is wasted because of the columns.  They don't really serve any purpose to the existing stadium.  So building a stadium with a similar footprint might actually give them more usable space.

Edited March 11, 2024 by UMFan83

[jersey cubs fan]

9 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

This might be an extremely dumb question but couldn't they fill in some of Burnham Harbor to give them more space to work with?  Of course the people who keep their boats in that marina might have a thing or two to say about that. 

I really hope there is public transit built into the plan too because moving the stadium south of Soldier Field makes it an even longer walk from downtown

Edit: Also thinking about it, a lot of Soldier Fields' footprint is wasted because of the columns.  They don't really serve any purpose to the existing stadium.  So building a stadium with a similar footprint might actually give them more usable space.

I would imagine that infringing on the lake and harbor would be an even bigger obstacle than just building in existing land. 

[BigSlick]

I have no idea what *actually* is going to happen, but I'm now mildly disappointed it wont be in Arlington Heights because it's an easier transit for me now. 

[jersey cubs fan]

1 hour ago, BigSlick said:

I have no idea what *actually* is going to happen, but I'm now mildly disappointed it wont be in Arlington Heights because it's an easier transit for me now. 

i dont think AH is off the table. 

 

[WrigleyField 22]

2 hours ago, UMFan83 said:

This might be an extremely dumb question but couldn't they fill in some of Burnham Harbor to give them more space to work with?  Of course the people who keep their boats in that marina might have a thing or two to say about that. 

I really hope there is public transit built into the plan too because moving the stadium south of Soldier Field makes it an even longer walk from downtown

Edit: Also thinking about it, a lot of Soldier Fields' footprint is wasted because of the columns.  They don't really serve any purpose to the existing stadium.  So building a stadium with a similar footprint might actually give them more usable space.

I think something akin to the One Central plan is more feasible than filling in the harbor.  Which is to say, both have issues.  That One Central plan is looking for 6.5B in subsidies and is apparently undergoing through a big proposal review which could kill it or clear the way.  A transit hub was central to that plan, but my understanding was most transit folks felt the transit aspect was poorly thought out and didn't make sense.  That said, that plan is to basically create space over the train with a transit hub, with connected pedestrian access over LSD.  Originally it would be to current SF, but could be connected to South Lot, with revised transit deal (and loop in development 78 and maybe a revitalized Comiskey (soccer?).

[minnesotacubsfan]

Filling in any navigable body of water out here brings in the sate, feds and tribal concerns. Not sure what would come into play at a marina in Chicago, but I could see years in a permitting process

 

 

[WrigleyField 22]

2 minutes ago, minnesotacubsfan said:

Filling in any navigable body of water out here brings in the sate, feds and tribal concerns. Not sure what would come into play at a marina in Chicago, but I could see years in a permitting process

 

 

The world was simpler when your whole city could burn down due to poor building codes and then you could build one of the best public parks in the nation on top of the rubble you filled into the harbor.

[BigbadB]

What was the nonsense about the Bears and White Sox sharing in the venture all about? Was I seeing things when I scrolled past that blurb in my feed? I trust it was only nonsense since no one shares venues anymore outside of the Meadowlands. Well, there is the LA stadium as well, but I was referring to cross sports anyway. 

[WrigleyField 22]

29 minutes ago, BigbadB said:

What was the nonsense about the Bears and White Sox sharing in the venture all about? Was I seeing things when I scrolled past that blurb in my feed? I trust it was only nonsense since no one shares venues anymore outside of the Meadowlands. Well, there is the LA stadium as well, but I was referring to cross sports anyway. 

Seemed like it was the Sox side trying to create a latch on opportunity to a bigger project to help what would be a very unpopular public deal for Sox new home.

 

But maybe it can get bundled and you could create some shared infrastructure/transit upgrades that (at least purportedly) benefit both.

[minnesotacubsfan]

I actually prefer the Sox's stadium plan to what the Bears have cooked up so far - its better thought out. but also hell no to a multi-sport arena. They never end up being good for any specific sport

[WrigleyField 22]

32 minutes ago, minnesotacubsfan said:

I actually prefer the Sox's stadium plan to what the Bears have cooked up so far - its better thought out. but also hell no to a multi-sport arena. They never end up being good for any specific sport

Don't think there is any proposal for a shared arena.. Just shared financing deal.