A key vote took place Monday on a proposal to build a new home for the Chicago Bears at the former site of Arlington Park.
The board of trustees with the village of Arlington Heights approved a pre-development plan on the Bears' possible relocation. As stressed by the board and the Bears, the agreement isn't binding, but an agreed upon framework and goals for the development of the site.
"This is not a binding obligation or either part, that it is a good faith agreement to work together to cooperate towards the exploration of the redevelopment of this property," said Cliff Stein, senior vice president and general counsel of the Chicago Bears.
The framework serves as the first public acknowledgment that the Bears may ask for public money to construct a new stadium and mixed-use development.
The Bears drafted a nearly $200 million purchase agreement for the former Arlington Heights racecourse in Sept. 2021. Since then, there has been speculation about the possibility of public money being used to build the new stadium, and the impact the project will have on traffic and local school districts.
Despite the board's unanimous decision, members of the public remained concerned about the Bears possible move to the suburbs.
"I feel I've been publicly misled," one member of the public said. "Non-transparent decisions made, and the feeling of being strung along by the board of trustees in a way."
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Randall Recklaus, Arlington Heights village manager, said the village is committed to "taking all of the time and collecting all of the information necessary to ensure that any deal is in the best interest of our residents."
"And we want to make sure this project if completed, is held up as one of the best major developments in the history of the state, not just one of the largest," he said.
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