The Chicago Bears are reportedly aiming to build a new domed stadium on the city’s lakefront, but an influential group is urging them to explore another alternative for the site.
The massive announcement came Monday, with the Bears putting forth plans to help fund a stadium near their current home at Soldier Field.
The team offered up to $2 billion in private funding for the project, which would ultimately result in a publicly-owned stadium.
Friends of the Parks, an advocacy group dedicated to maintaining open spaces and creating new parks in the city, has been a vocal proponent of keeping private development off of the lakeshore, and is urging the Bears to talk to them about “other locations more suitable for development” in regards to the project.
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Specifically, the group mentioned the site of the former Michael Reese hospital, which closed in 2008 and was purchased by the city of Chicago in 2009. The site is located just west of DuSable Lake Shore Drive in the Bronzeville neighborhood, with close proximity to 31st Street Beach and other landmarks.
“The site potentially offers the best of both worlds – the development of a state-of-the-art stadium surrounded by a residential, business and entertainment district in a community steeped in rich, Black history,” the group said in a statement following the Bears’ announcement. “It also is accessible by bus, train, car, bike, scooter, and walking without disrupting the lakefront.”
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The group says it hopes the Bears will “toss balls around with stakeholders” to determine the location of their new stadium, with the stated goal of maintaining a “clear and free lakefront.”
The Reese hospital site is currently under development as a project called the “Bronzeville Lakefront,” which is slated to include thousands of residential units, senior housing and a medical research facility, according to Chicago officials.
Infrastructure work at the 48-acre site is expected to be completed by 2026 to add new sections of multiple Chicago streets, as well as dedicated green space, bike facilities and more.
Rep. Kam Buckner, who represents the area that includes both Soldier Field and the Reese site, says that more discussions would need to be had on whether the site would fit what the Bears are trying to accomplish.
“I’ve said they have to adhere to the spirit of the Lakefront Protection Ordinance, and there’s a clear-cut difference between private development and public-private partnerships,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times.
The provisions of the ordinance state that parks and the lake itself should only be “devoted only to public purposes and to ensure the integrity of and expand the quantity and quality of the lakefront parks.”
The Bears’ plan would be to invest more than $2 billion of private funding into the construction of a new domed-stadium near Soldier Field. The stadium would be publicly owned, with the team seeking public assistance to complete the project.
“The future stadium of the Chicago Bears will bring a transformative opportunity to our region – boosting the economy, creating jobs, facilitating mega events and generating millions in tax revenue,” President and CEO Kevin Warren said. “We look forward to sharing more information when our plans are finalized.”
A source told NBC Chicago that the new stadium would be built on the Museum Campus.
Crain’s Chicago Business said that the plan would be to build the stadium in the parking lot areas to the south of Soldier Field.
The team argues that the new stadium would increase open space by up to 20%, with plazas, paths, landscaped areas and lakefront access.
