The transformative project will increase public open and green space, providing Chicago’s families a safe place to gather and play.
The recreational and cultural campus anchored by a new replacement stadium will add to the vitality of downtown. It will attract residents and visitors alike to a more vibrant campus that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Soldier Field will be restored to its original scale with open athletic fields, and the historic colonnade, honoring the military men and women who have served our country, will be preserved and publicly accessible.
The Chicago Bears are committed to contributing over $2 billion to a new, best-in-class enclosed stadium and multi-purpose recreational and cultural campus. The proposal represents a remarkable opportunity to put Chicago in position to compete for the world’s biggest sports and entertainment events—driving tourism and unlocking billions of dollars in economic impact to the region. Net financial gains from the public-private partnership will create increased revenue streams that can be used for underfunded city and state programs—an exclusive chance for Chicagoland and Illinois to capitalize on private investment.
A new replacement stadium and associated campus improvements will be one of the largest construction projects in Illinois history, representing $4.7 billion of direct capital investment and creating thousands of jobs for a regional workforce. It will add open space, improve accessibility, and provide Chicago families and tourists a safe place to gather year-round.
The Chicago Bears will continue to play in Soldier Field until the replacement stadium is complete.
The Chicago Bears honor and appreciate our Season Ticket Holders' and PSL holders’ ongoing support. We are in the process of designing a stadium that will deliver the premier experience they deserve. When a plan for the new stadium is finalized, we will communicate directly with our current season ticket holders, PSL owners, and suite partners.
Yes. The number of parking spaces on campus will be roughly the same as what currently exists. We will provide both general parking and tailgating spaces, including a variety of food and beverage options for fans using public transportation or ride share options.
We will have a parking transition plan during each phase of the construction process, preserving some areas for tailgating.
Capacity for the new stadium will depend on the type of event. The number of seats for a Chicago Bears game will be similar to Soldier Field, but we will pick up extra capacity with standing-room options. We expect to be above 65,000 for Chicago Bears games. We want the stadium to be intimate. This is becoming the trend instead of larger capacity venues with bad seats far removed from the playing surface. We also are catering to the younger fans who are gravitating to ticket options like ‘Standing Room Only’ that give them the flexibility to move around and be in communal spaces.
We would like to begin the project in the summer of 2025. Once we get a shovel in the ground, we plan to open it 36 months later. We are urgent about starting the project because every year that passes adds roughly $150 to $200 million to the cost.
We believe this is the best site for the City of Chicago, State, and the Chicago Bears. It provides the most benefits for all parties. We will work together on an operating agreement that works for the Chicago Bears and the city to maximize its use and revenue generation.
Our plan replaces an existing stadium and includes more open and green space than is currently on the site, with all-season free and accessible plazas, paths, landscaped and planted areas, and improved access to the lakefront. The new stadium will remain publicly owned and add approximately 14 acres of athletic fields, only removing a parking lot. The development is for the public good, so we’re confident it will meet the standards of the Lakefront Protection Ordinance.
Yes. The Chicago Bears will sell naming rights to the new stadium.
The Chicago Bears will continue to work closely with government leaders and surrounding communities to create equitable opportunities for involvement in the development, including bringing in relevant local partners and deepening existing relationships.
The City of Chicago can welcome visitors from all over the world to the new year-round development, where they can bring their families, support local businesses, and enjoy time outdoors alongside residents who will live, work, and play here. The stadium can be used for everything from concerts to high-profile sports games to community events. It has the opportunity to unlock new revenue streams for the city and state.
We will create a traffic and parking transition plan to handle the different construction phases. The goal will be to provide the least disruption to the Museum Campus possible.
While the Chicago Bears would play their home games at the replacement stadium, that leaves the majority of the year where the site can be enjoyed by all sorts of groups that want to host large events. From concerts to major sporting events, like the Super Bowl, to CPS graduations, we project that the stadium will be used for many purposes beyond football. Aside from the stadium itself, the surrounding area will be developed into even more open space than the old site, allowing Chicagoans and visitors from all walks of life—sports fans or not—to enjoy better access to the lakefront.
Our plan includes improved ramps and interchanges, a new parking deck, improved access to DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and a new level for McFetridge Drive. If completed, these improvements would remove an average of 1,200 vehicle hours of congestion at the DuSable Lake Shore Drive and McFetridge Drive intersection and increase campus access capacity for events by 50%.
Yes, the new stadium development will add more open and green space to the area, allowing more Chicagoans and visitors to enjoy Burnham Park and the lakefront.
Building this megadevelopment will put Illinois to work. An economic impact study showed it would provide 24,000 new job years for Chicagoans and 43,000 in the greater region, bringing in $2.4 billion in labor income to the City of Chicago and $3.5 billion to the area. Once the stadium comes to life, we project it will support 2,300 permanent jobs annually in Chicago and 4,200 in the region, producing $92 million in labor income in the city and $170 million regionally per year. All told, the stadium development is projected to have over $8B in economic impact.
The new stadium is estimated to cost $3.225 billion, with over 72% of the project funded by a $2.3 billion investment by the Chicago Bears and NFL. To fill the $900 million funding gap, the Chicago Bears are working with the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA) to extend bonds for 40 years. The bonds are funded through a hotel tax and won’t require any tax increases. ISFA was created to assist in building sports venues, so we are appropriately tapping into a resource designated for a project like ours. We are working with lawmakers to ensure it’s a good deal for the taxpayers and the team.
The NFL is very supportive of the project. The Chicago Bears plan to participate in the NFL’s stadium loan program, which requires approval from the league. The proposal accounts for $300 million from the NFL loan to help fund the new stadium. The rest of the private funding will come from the club.
The taxpayer is specifically those who stay at Chicago hotels. No other taxpayer dollars are designated for the stadium construction other than the current 2% Chicago hotel tax. This is driven by visitors to Chicago, not residents of Chicago.
The public money for the stadium would come from the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, which the General Assembly created specifically to help build stadiums for professional sports teams. We are tapping into a resource for the very purpose it was intended. We are not diverting funds from other projects.
The Chicago Bears will fund over 70% of the stadium. The public-private partnership will provide many tangible and intangible benefits to the entire Chicagoland region and state. We need more of these types of projects to create new revenue streams and provide additional resources for underfunded programs. Nothing will change without investing in new opportunities.
The funding will come from equity and new debt.
No, the public funding would come from an extension of the existing ISFA bonds, which are based on the already existing hotel tax. Visitors staying at Chicago hotels provide public funding.
Infrastructure funding to bring the project to life is divided into three phases. Phase 1 includes the necessary infrastructure funding to make the project operational, which is roughly $325M. Phase Two is $510M to maximize the stadium and surrounding campus, and Phase 3 is $665M for enhancements to the campus. The three phases will extend over five years and all three phases are not required for the project to move forward.
Bonds to help fund the stadium would be issued by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA), a state entity responsible for supporting sports infrastructure in Chicago. The repayment of these bonds would rely on the existing hotel tax, which funds ISFA, without requiring new taxes.
The Chicago Bears have proposed refinancing the ISFA bonds, creating an immediate "rainy day" liquidity reserve to protect taxpayers from potential hotel tax shortfalls. This reserve would act as a backstop, reducing risk for Chicago taxpayers and removing the City of Chicago as the initial guarantor. By doing so, the refinancing proposal not only safeguards against revenue fluctuations but also spares the city from an upcoming balloon payment due to current bond arrangements.
The proposed refinancing involves extending the current ISFA bonds for 40 years, allowing for greater bond capacity in 2024 to fund the stadium, without introducing new taxes. Besides the ISFA bonds and existing hotel tax, our proposal doesn't currently rely on other funding sources.
The stadium's development will spur year-round economic growth, create jobs, and serve as a destination for neighbors and visitors alike. The new site will feature more open and green space for Chicagoans and tourists alike to visit. The publicly owned stadium can be used for everything from concerts to high-profile sports games to community events.
We vetted sites across the city, and the Burnham Park location is the only one that fits our needs. Unfortunately, the Michael Reese site is too narrow to accommodate the development. In addition to being the correct dimensions for our proposed project, the Burnham Park location has neighbors who are used to having a stadium nearby.
We own the property in Arlington and continue to communicate openly with their officials. We also have appealed the Board of Review’s decision on the property tax issue and continue to work toward a short-term tax resolution. However, our current focus is on the City of Chicago and the Burnham Park Project.
