Another suburb has thrown their hat into the ring as part of a “Hail Mary” attempt at convincing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in their community.
According to a press release sent out on Tuesday, officials in Country Club Hills say they have made their pitch to the Bears to relocate to the south suburbs.
“In September, I sent a letter to Chicago Bears’ matriarch Virginia McCaskey and (President Kevin) Warren inviting them to consider a site in Country Club Hills,” commissioner Monica Gordon said. “Mayor James Ford and I also are imploring the team to look at the south suburbs as an opportunity to have a positive economic impact on a part of the Chicagoland area that is ignored all too often.”
The letter cited the success of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers’ new stadium in Inglewood as a blueprint of a site “transforming a predominantly Black area into a thriving residential, business and entertainment district,” according to the press release.
Country Club Hills is located near the interchange between Interstates 57 and 80, and is also just miles east and south of the Tri-State Tollway. The Metra Electric Line services areas near the community, with stops in Homewood and Hazel Crest.
The letter did not mention a specific site for the stadium within the community, which according to the U.S. Census Bureau has a population of 16,775 as of 2020. The community is approximately 25 miles south of Chicago.
Chicago Bears
Numerous sites have been floated for the Bears, who purchased the site of the former Arlington International Racecourse with the intention of exploring building a closed-roof stadium.
Demolition work was completed earlier this month, according to the Daily Herald.
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The Bears had been solely focused on the site for months, but in August, Warren said that the team was looking at multiple options, including remaining at Chicago’s Soldier Field, which they have called home since the 1970’s.
Arlington Heights does remain in the picture, but officials in other suburbs have also made overtures to the Bears, including Waukegan and Naperville.
