ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Mayor Jim Tinaglia said Monday that any renewed discussion about a possible Chicago Bears stadium at the former Arlington Park property would happen publicly and not "behind closed doors," after a resident urged village officials to hold public forums on the issue.
Speaking during public comment at Monday's Village Board meeting, resident Brenda Popovich asked officials to give residents a formal opportunity to share their views on a possible stadium development at the former racetrack site.
"I'm very saddened that residents' voices have not yet been heard," Popovich told the board.
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Popovich referenced comments made by another resident at a May 18 board meeting, when concerns were raised that the village had not sought more input from residents about the Bears' potential move. She said public forums should not only be viewed as a way for officials to answer questions, but also as a way for residents to speak directly to their elected representatives.
"It's not so much that people want you to answer questions," Popovich said. "They just want you to listen to their opinions about a Bears stadium development. We just want you to be willing to hear what we have to say."
Tinaglia responded by saying he may owe residents an apology if earlier remarks gave the impression that he thought it would be "silly" to listen to residents. He said that was not his intent.
"It is not wasteful listening to residents," Tinaglia said. "Please, I apologize if that's what it sounded like. That's certainly not the goal of anybody up here."
Tinaglia said village officials do not currently have much new information to discuss because the Bears are focused on Hammond, Indiana. While some people may believe the Indiana focus is a negotiating tactic or "smoke screen," Tinaglia said that is the information Arlington Heights officials have right now.
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The team's Hammond evaluation appears to be moving beyond broad interest. The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that soil drilling equipment was in last month at Wolf Lake Terminals, west of Interstate 90 in Hammond, near a site that could become the next Bears stadium. A Bears spokesman confirmed to the newspaper that the machinery was being used to test the ground for a potential stadium site.
"This activity is part of the normal site evaluation process as we continue to advance our stadium development project in Hammond," Scott Hagel, the Bears' senior vice president of public and governmental affairs, told The Times.
Hagel said the team has "an excellent option already in place" and is continuing to assess additional parcels in the Wolf Lake region to determine the best location for a stadium and mixed-use district.
"Until Springfield, and until the Bears decide that something’s going to change on that focus for us, the amount of time, the amount of energy to be talking about something that is really not aimed this direction right now is where I was talking about it might be wasteful," Tinaglia said.
The mayor stressed that if the Bears again turn their attention to Arlington Heights, residents will have opportunities to weigh in.
"When the time is right, if the time becomes right, let’s start with that, we will have plenty, plenty of opportunity," Tinaglia said. "This is not a slam dunk. This is not something that will happen behind closed doors. It's something that will happen openly, carefully, thoughtfully, and in a smart way for all to share."
The exchange came as the Bears' future stadium plans remain unsettled. The team still owns the former Arlington Park property, long viewed as a possible site for a new stadium and mixed-use entertainment district. But recent attention has shifted to Hammond, Indiana, where officials have also been working to position northwest Indiana as a possible landing spot.
The former racetrack property also came up Monday through a Village Board consent agenda item involving an electronic billboard sign at 2200 W. Euclid Ave., adjacent to Route 53.
According to village documents, Arlington Heights approved sign variations in 2017 allowing construction of a 25-foot-tall electronic billboard sign on the Arlington Racetrack property as an additional revenue stream for the racetrack. One condition required the sign to be removed following the end of horse racing operations at the property.
The Village Board later extended the sign variations through June 30, 2026, and has approved additional extensions each year by resolution. The current owners of the property, the Chicago Bears Football Club, requested another extension allowing the billboard to remain in operation through June 30, 2027, according to village documents.
The Chicago Tribune reported team officials have not disclosed how much revenue the Bears collect from the billboard, but the sign was said to have generated $120,000 a year for the former racetrack.
Village staff supported the latest extension request. Trustee Bill Manganaro registered a "no" vote on the consent agenda item, which involved a resolution further extending the term of sign variations for the electronic billboard.
Popovich also told the board she had emailed village officials June 22 about possible alternative developments for the racetrack property. She said she understands the Bears still own the land and would have to sell it for another vision to move forward, but argued it is still worth considering other possibilities.
"It's not a bad idea to have other plans in mind," she said.
No final stadium decision has been announced for the former Arlington Park property.
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