LAKE FOREST, Ill. — In an open letter that Kevin Warren released Wednesday night, the Bears president and CEO said the team will look beyond Arlington Heights to build its next stadium in the Chicagoland area, including in northwest Indiana.

That development comes after months of stating that the Bears had narrowed their focus away from the Chicago lakefront and solely on Arlington Heights, a Chicago suburb where Bears ownership owns a 326-acre parcel of land that Warren claims is pad ready.

The Bears were looking for special mega-project legislation and property-tax certainty from the state of Illinois, but it hasn’t received that in recent legislative sessions.

Warren said Arlington Heights is the only Cook County site to accommodate such a project, and an architecture firm released stadium renderings for that land in September.

The Bears have expanded a previously singular focus on building a privately funded domed stadium in Arlington Heights, Warren said in the letter. That includes going outside the state of Illinois.

“We need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,” Warren said. “This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights. Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.”

You can read the letter in its entirety below or on the Bears’ website:

While the Indianapolis Colts own most of the market share in Indiana, the Bears have some market share outside of Illinois. That includes in northwest Indiana, where the Bears could avoid dealing with the Illinois state legislature and the state government overall.

While Warren said this move isn’t about leverage, he also stated how significant the loss of jobs and revenue would be if the Bears moved into Indiana.

“The Bears have called Chicago home for more than a century,” Warren said in the letter. “One certainty is that our commitment to this city will not change. We will continue to provide unwavering support to the community. We need to secure a world-class venue for our passionate fanbase and honor the energy you bring every week.

“The Chicago Bears are a founding franchise, playing in the oldest and smallest stadium in the NFL. As we move forward, our goal is clear: build a world-class football team that has a world-class stadium worthy of our world-class fans — a stadium that reflects the future we are building together.”