Bears make progress with Arlington Heights in discussions on new stadium

The Bears have been at odds with local school districts in the Arlington Heights area regarding tax assessments.

Transcript

00:00I think we go back to what we talked about last time we addressed this, the need to start this

00:07sooner rather than later, maybe even this calendar year. That's unlikely to happen if it is Chicago.

00:13So if Kevin Warren was so hell-bent on staying in the city, that would be likely something that

00:18would be next year. And the longer you wait, the more you pay. Time is money. So yesterday's

00:25development, and it's just a small one, but it's significant. It's almost significant in the

00:29context of the Bears next stadium. Carm reported that there was some progress being made back in

00:36Arlington Heights where the Bears own the land and they've cleared it. They're ready to shovel,

00:41to dig the shovels in the ground if it was tomorrow. So talking to some people involved

00:46in the process yesterday, I got the same information. I got the same confirmation

00:54that yes, there have been productive discussions with both parties as they continue to go toward

01:02a possible deal in Arlington Heights. The news of it isn't necessarily that they're close to a deal.

01:09I think the news of it is, Molly, correct me if I see what you think, but they're still talking

01:13to them. So they haven't shut that door to Arlington Heights. I think it's really interesting

01:20because I think there are two questions here. The first question is, if their sole focus was

01:28on downtown and that's what they're going to do and that's what they're pursuing,

01:32then what do they do in talking to them? And really, let's be honest about that. Their concern

01:38with Arlington Heights was the amount of tax revenue they will pay, not this year, not the

01:47next year, not 10 years from now, but 20, 30 years. They're looking for long-term certainty.

01:53Tax certainty.

01:53The appeal of a privately owned public building or whatever way they're terming it

02:00is that there'd be no taxes involved. So the taxes are the reason that they're even

02:06trying to get this done.