Kevin Warren: ‘Everything is on the table’ for the Bears stadium originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Kevin Warren, CEO and President of the Chicago Bears, recently joined NBC’s Peter King’s podcast to discuss the Bears and their stadium endeavors.
Recently, the Bears encountered a fork in the road with Arlington Heights, the 326-acre property they purchased in February for just under $200 million. When asked about the location of the stadium, Warren was clear about the Bears’ current stance.
“Everything is on the table,” Warren told King. “We had that period where we were focused on Arlington. We have some issues to work on. There’s a possibility there. But one of the things I promised myself and promised the McCaskeys is that I would come in and take a fresh look at what’s the right thing to do. And if it turns out to be Arlington, it turns out to be Arlington.
“If it’s in downtown Chicago …”
Warren didn’t finish that last sentence. But his conversation with King focused on Chicago. Warren was very complimentary of Soldier Field, the lakefront location, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, too.
“God really kissed downtown Chicago with that lakefront,” Warren said. “I don’t think there’s any place in the country that has that beauty of a city right upon a beautiful lake in Lake Michigan.”
The Bears recently reopened their search for a stadium location after they got tangled up with Arlington Heights on property valuations, as it relates to annual tax payments. The school districts of Arlington Heights deemed the property worth what the Bears paid for it: $197.2 million.
That valuation bills Churchill Down Inc., the responsible party for this year’s tax bill, $16 million. But the Bears don’t see it that way. The Bears want that number to be closer to $4 million.
Warren mentioned they have a “fall veto” meeting coming on the subject. Should the two sides not agree, the Bears will look elsewhere for their stadium location. Naperville, Waukegan and Aurora are…
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