Report: Demolition at Arlington Park Will Cost $3.8 Million

Report: Demolition at Arlington Park will cost $3.8 million originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The demolition estimate for the Bears wrecking Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Park will cost them $3.8 million, according to documents filed with the village, as reported by The Daily Herald

The Bears filed two separate permits during the first week of May for demolition. One is for the demolition and tear-down of the grandstand. The other is for the entirety of all other buildings. 

Approval for both permits is seemingly inevitable, according to the Mayor of Arlington Heights. 

"The village does not have any authority to withhold approval of demolition for any reason if the application is complete and if a property owner's demolition plans comply with the village code," Mayor Tom Hayes said to the Herald. 

According to Hayes, the village doesn't have much authority on the approval of the permits. When it comes to commercial demolition, as long as the application and appropriate information is filed, there is no stopping the wrecking balls. 

But, Village Manager Randy Recklaus added to the Herald "This is not a minor project."

"They have to follow our code," Recklaus told the Herald. "They have to follow our processes. And there's back and forth, where we will ask them, 'What's going to be your method of managing dust? Where are your trucks going to be coming in?' Like any permit, there's a certain amount of supervision to ensure that they're doing this in a way that's going to have as little of an impact on the village as possible and can be done as safely as possible."

The reason the Bears are attempting to demolish the park is to lower the assessed value of their land in hopes of paying a lower property tax threshold over the next two years. 

MORE: Report: Bears file paperwork to begin demolition at Arlington Park

The Bears are negotiating values for the land with the surrounding school districts. President and CEO Kevin Warren is running point on this part of the operation. 

As it stands, the schools value the land at $95 million. The Bears would pay $7.9 million in annual property taxes for the next two years if that value were cemented. The Bears countered with a $52.5 million land value and tax payments of $4.3 million, according to the Herald. 

It's a long process for the Bears. But construction is near being started out in Arlington Heights. 

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