Getty Arlington Park is set to become the new home for what some are anticipating will be a state of the art new stadium for the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears‘ plans to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights seems to be going swimmingly.
According to an October 28 report by Danny Ecker of Crain’s Chicago Business, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen discussed the team’s current plans for the property, and they’re equally ambitious and impressive. The Bears currently have the smallest stadium in the league, as Soldier Field has a capacity of 61,500 seats. Apparently, the team wants to blow that out of the water when it builds its next stadium on the sprawling, 326-acre Arlington Heights property it purchased the rights for in September.
Carstanjen told Ecker the Bears are looking to build a “world-class stadium” in Arlington Heights once the team makes its purchase of the property official.
So when will that be?
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Bears Planning On Mega Stadium With ‘Numerous Amenities’
In his October 28 article, Ecker detailed what he had learned about the Bears’ plans for the Arlington Park property courtesy of Carstanjen:
Speaking to analysts during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said the company is ‘sad’ to be closing Arlington Park and ‘would have loved to continue to (have) racing’ there, but said the Bears ‘will ultimately develop this prime real estate into a world-class stadium and development with numerous amenities for fans and residents to enjoy over the coming decades.’ Carstanjen reiterated that the company expects the sale of the property to close in late 2022 or early 2023, ‘subject to completion of due diligence and other customary closing conditions.’
It’s still a year or two off, but ever since placing the bid to buy the property earlier this summer, the team has been moving forward in what appear to be clear plans to build a new stadium that can compete with the SoFis of the league.
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Bears Have Been ‘Guarded’ in Discussing Plans for New Stadium
Ecker also revealed that the Bears are looking to build something that is going to rival Allegiant Stadium, which is home to the Las Vegas Raiders. Allegiant is as high-tech as it gets, featuring a retractable natural grass playing field and an ETFE roof that lights the stadium with natural light while also protecting fans from the heat and sun, among other amenities. The Bears could also be looking at a mixed-campus type of situation, Ecker reports.
“The team, which declined to comment today, has been guarded when it comes to discussing the scope of its plans for the 326-acre property. The sprawling site could accommodate a mixed-use campus anchored by a new stadium, in line with the entertainment options built around other major pro sports stadiums constructed in recent years,” Ecker wrote, also noting that “the team is ‘not pursuing any horse racing opportunities on the site,'” according to Bears spokesman Scott Hagel.
The Bears may be keeping mum about their plans, but others involved have already shared some revealing details. It’ll be interesting to see what other information emerges in the coming months.
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