When could a Bears stadium decision be made? Kevin Warren discusses talks

Discussions over where to build a new Chicago Bears stadium feel like they’ve been going on for years, but could a final choice be close?

While Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren didn’t give a specific deadline for talks when chatting with reporters in Phoenix during NFL meetings in the Valley, he did say that the team is hoping to make a decision on their future home by late spring or early summer.

Warren said the team is still focused on two locations for a stadium. Arlington Heights, in which the team owns a parcel formerly occupied by the Arlington International Racecourse, is one of those sites, as is a site in Hammond that has been earmarked for the purposes of a new stadium by legislation passed in the state of Indiana.

Warren said the team was pleased with that legislation, but that they are positive about ongoing talks on multiple bills in the state of Illinois.

“They’re both excellent sites, and we’re focused on making sure we build a world-class stadium,” he said. “(Bears fans) deserve a world-class stadium and a world-class experience.”

In Illinois, the Bears are waiting on the outcome of talks over several key pieces of legislation. One is known as a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) bill that would lock in the team’s property tax rates at the Arlington Heights site, giving the team what Warren called “tax certainty” as they embark on a construction project.

Other legislation would also be discussed over infrastructure improvements around the proposed stadium site, with the Bears hoping to not just build a football facility but also a mixed-use development that would include retail and performance space, among other items.

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Meanwhile in Indiana legislation has already been passed offering the Bears a tax incentive package to move their operations across the border. That deal would include property tax relief and funding toward construction of a stadium, while the Bears have insisted they would pay for the bulk of construction costs of the football stadium itself.

Warren said that the team is hoping to move soon on their decision of where to build a stadium, and that they would not be able to move forward in Illinois without a PILOT bill passing.

“The time is now for us to be able to do it. You have to have tax certainty, which is critically important,” he said. “We would not be able to build a stadium without tax certainty. Fortunately we do have tax certainty in the state of Indiana.”

He said the team believes they are close to a finish line in talks, and they have to be able to make sure they are able to strike while the iron is hot.

“These projects are challenging, and when you get to a point where you can see them getting to fruition, you have to make sure you capitalize on it,” he said.

The Illinois legislature is expected to reconvene this month, with the current session ending on May 31. That date would fall in line with the team’s targeted decision, giving lawmakers a sense of urgency to get a deal passed before they head home for the summer.