Talks Between Bears, Arlington Heights At 'Stalemate': Warren

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren is committed to helping to bring the “best building in all of sports” but says that the franchise he has worked for just more than two months hasn’t yet settled on where that state-of-the-art facility will call home.

Warren said Monday night in Arlington Heights the Bears and their fans need and deserve a new domed venue, but that it will require a strong and cohesive public-private partnership in order for the project as successful as the Bears' newest executive hopes the team will be over the long run.

Yet, where that partnership calls home remains the multi-billion question that will need time to answer, Warren says.

However, an Arlington Heights grassroots group is hoping the 326-acre Arlington Park Racecourse property that the Bears have spent $197.2 million for the rights to is where the team ultimately lands. Steering committee members from Touchdown Arlington are pushing to bring the Bears to Arlington Heights, which could become the "economic center of the area" with the addition of an NFL franchise, the group believes.

But in an invitation-only meeting Monday night at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Warren said negotiations between the Bears and village officials have hit a stalemate, and that conversations with other interested parties are "strictly business" on the Bears' part.

The "at-risk" nature of the Bears' status in Arlington Heights has opened the door to other municipalities, including Naperville and Waukegan before Aurora threw its hat into the ring this week.

After Arlington Heights was long considered the team's singular focus for a new football home, Warren said Monday he isn't using conversations with other municipalities as a negotiating ploy, but instead, to gain assurance that the Bears are doing their due diligence in finding the right landing spot.

Yet, organizers from the Touchdown Arlington group that organized Monday’s meeting with Warren still believe that the Bears building a new domed stadium and business and entertainment district at Arlington Park is still the best use of the land. However, due to what the group characterizes as political obstacles, “getting the Bears to Arlington Park is not a foregone conclusion," one of the group's steering committee, Ernest Rose, said Monday night.

Warren, who took over for Ted Phillips as the team’s president and CEO 71 days ago, echoed on Monday night what other Bears officials have said about getting to the finish line, calling the process “a long road.”

He said that the Bears “have to” consider options despite already beginning demolition at Arlington Park. In his role, Warren says he has a fiduciary responsibility to build a world-class venue for fans across not only the greater Chicago area but across Illinois, but that the deal has to be good for everyone involved.

But given where things stand now, no one — Warren included — can guarantee when and where it gets done. Warren called discussions with various communities “very early” but says he wants to make sure the team has someone it can work with to bring economic viability to the project.

Warren referred to the greater Chicago area as the best metropolitan area in the entire National Football League given the business climate, schools, colleges, and universities, the Lakefront, and other aspects that make the region the best-positioned to do something special, Warren said. But again, where that happens will depend on the teamwork that can be developed between the Bears and local government officials.

“Once we have a legitimate partner, we will move forward,” Warren said Monday night. “If that’s in Arlington Heights, great. If it’s somewhere else, that’s great too.”

For months, Arlington Park had been the team’s singular focus for where to build a new stadium. But for weeks now, even with demolition continuing at Arlington Park, Warren has held meetings with Naperville officials and with new Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about considering other municipalities.

Warren said the stalemate has been caused by a lack of communication, which has made things “more convoluted” than he expected. Yet, given the unique nature of the Arlington Park property, Warren says that the site could create a very unique and special place for a new Bears home – although he is not certain when things can move forward. He said the team needs to make sure it makes sense and that the project is a “win-win-win” situation.

Residents remain concerned about what the Bears coming to Arlington Heights will cost them. The team has said it will not seek public assistance in building a multi-billion stadium but will need assistance to fund the business and entertainment district that will accompany a new football home for the Bears.

“This is not about the Chicago Bears trying to come in and take advantage of everyone,” Warren said during Monday's 60-minute meeting. “It’s the opposite. It’s about the Chicago Bears finding a partner.”

Warren, the former Big Ten commissioner, danced around what exactly the project will cost Arlington Heights taxpayers. He said at this point, without knowing answers to several key questions about the finished project, it is too early to tell residents what their part of the financial puzzle will look like.

Warren said that the team is not looking for any handouts or special favors from Arlington Heights or any other community where the team may ultimately land. But, he said that the franchise does expect to be treated fairly and with some certainty.”

The Bears have already clashed with three local school districts over tax rates. School officials from Palatine, Northwest Suburban High School District 214, and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 suggested $7.9 million after the Cook County Assessor re-assessed the Arlington Park property in a way that would increase the annual property tax bill to $16.2 million from $2.8 million

Warren said the team offered school districts $4.3 million for taxes, which is $1.5 million more than was being paid by Churchill Downs. He said that the team is not trying to "skirt taxes", which he said is evident by the fact they're willing to pay more than the racecourse's previous tenant.

But he said that because the Racecourse property will sit vacant for the next two years at least, the team is not in a position to generate any revenue from a site that Warren hopes to have availability for big events 365 days a year.

He said that he envisions hosting major concerts, sporting events, and trade shows at the site and even floated the idea that with a domed world-class event, Taylor Swift could consider a residency at the venue rather than performing three times as she did recently at Soldier Field that drew sold-out audiences. A domed stadium, Warren said, would help secure major events on a year-round-basis rather than the Chicago area "losing out" to cities like Minneapolis, Detroit, and Indianapolis for Final Fours, Big Ten championship games and College Football Playoff games, Warren added.

But with talks with village officials at a stand-still, Warren said that while the Arlington Park property offers a lot of up-side, both sides need to find more common ground. That's where Warren said communication and dialogue need to take over and the Bears try to find some clarity.

“What we need to figure out …if Arlington Heights is legitimately a viable option — or is it not?” Warren said Monday night. “This has nothing to do with personal feelings — this is strictly business and I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page to figure out if this is something that will work.”

Warren said he expects Monday's conversation to be the first of many with local residents. But after an hour-long conversation between Warren and members of the Touchdown Arlington group that considers the Bears coming to the village a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, some residents did not feel like they got many answers they were seeking.

Rose said that Touchdown Arlington received 300 questions ahead of Monday's event, which filled the Performing Arts Center and that wrapped up in 60 minutes.

Roger Wohlner, a long-time Arlington Heights resident left a bit frustrated with the lack of answers — especially when it comes to what it will cost taxpayers. Warren encouraged residents to contact their local political leaders as it relates to specifics moving forward. Wohlner said he was frustrated with the amount of "propaganda" delivered by Warren and Touchdown Arlington rather than more specifics about how the project would affect the bottom line for local residents.

Warren says he can't pinpoint when negotiations will pick up again and encouraged residents to be patient as the team considers its next steps. He said that communication remains among the biggest keys to the process moving forward, but warns that no matter where the Bears ultimately land, nothing will happen quickly.

“These projects do not come together overnight — they take time,” said Warren, who oversaw the building of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis during his tenure as an executive with the Minnesota Vikings. “But the key elements that it will require us to do is to be honest with each other, to be transparent, to communicate, to work together to think about the legacy that we can build here together.”