PALM BEACH, Fla. – Kevin Warren said the Bears stadium quest was focused on the Chicago lakefront at last year’s NFL owners meetings. That was the case despite the fact the team’s ownership had previously bought 326 acres of land in Arlington Heights, Ill., where a stadium could go.

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Warren wanted to walk parallel paths, with real focus on a site not too far from Soldier Field where a state-of-the-art, fixed roof stadium would sit.

Roughly 12 months later, that’s no longer the case. Warren said the Bears are now equally pursuing options in Chicago and Arlington Heights in a Wednesday meeting with local reporters at the NFL annual meeting.

“The focus now is both downtown and Arlington Heights,” Warren said. “One thing, I’ve said it before, 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.”

That constitutes a paradigm shift.

The Bears have long been in active pursuit of a stadium site. Warren listed a few in Chicago, including downtown and the Michael Reese site, though the president also said the site was too narrow. Securing one would allow Warren to fulfill a promise to put shovels in the ground by the end of this calendar year.

Warren and Bears chairman George McCaskey said lots of nice things about Arlington Heights, making it clear the team is warming up to the idea of moving their games out of Chicago itself.

“Arlington Heights is, I keep going back to it, it’s an absolutely fantastic piece of land,” Warren said. “I thank George and his family, for having the foresight. The McCaskey family, led by George, to have the foresight to purchase that land in Arlington Heights, but to be able to find 326 acres that close to a wonderful city is difficult to do. I don’t know if it exists anywhere in the country.”

There’s a lot to do before securing a site, including feasibility studies involving financing, ingress and egress and what infrastructure improvements are required. Warren talked about options in Chicago, but he just kept going back to Arlington Heights.

“Arlington Heights is unique,” Warren said. “I don’t think there’s another piece of land like this in the world. Because the biggest thing for me as I represent the family’s interests, I not only look at this generation, but I really say it and I seriously mean it — this is a decision that will impact this franchise for the next 100 years.”

Warren frequently drives to the Arlington Heights site and dares himself to think big.

“I dream a lot about it, the legacy that will be created for the Chicago Bears,” Warren said. “Fans deserve a world-class, transformative game day experience and we’ll be able to do it here.”

The Bears have release stadium renderings in the past, and Warren said they would generally work regardless of site, but that they would translate to the Arlington Heights location.

Tax certainty, at least in the short term, is something the Bears have in Arlington Heights. Warren also said that it’s “pad ready,” meaning the site can accommodate new construction.

Warren and McCaskey reiterated that the team will private finance stadium construction, bringing $2 billion to the table. They are asking for public investment in the infrastructure improvements required to build a stadium, though they said those upgrades will help the entire community.

McCaskey wouldn’t close the door on any site, but even he kept extolling Arlington Heights’ virtues.

“George Halas identified it more than 50 years ago as an ideal place for a Bears stadium, and I don’t know if anything that’s happened since then changed that evaluation,” McCaskey said. “As Kevin mentioned, it’s pad ready, it’s got the Metra stop, plenty of acreage, topography is good. It can be an outstanding, beautiful green space with enhancements to Salt Creek, but the downtown locations have their advantages, too. Kevin has said it since he’s been here. Beautiful spot by the lake. It’s idyllic and if there were sufficient improvements in infrastructure to make that location accessible 365 days of the year, it can be a fantastic opportunity as well.” 

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