Leaders in Country Club Hills have joined the rush for a new Chicago Bears stadium.
Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon, whose district includes the south suburb, announced Tuesday she and Country Club Hills Mayor James Ford have formally invited Bears President Kevin Warren and principal owner Virginia McCaskey to consider building the team’s next home 25 miles south of Soldier Field.
“Country Club Hills’ strategic location near three major highways, the Metra Electric line and the Indiana border gives the Bears the opportunity to develop a world class stadium and experience that management purports to want for the team’s future growth,” Gordon said in a statement.
The first-term commissioner said she sent a letter to team brass last month, insisting their stadium investment could transform “a predominantly Black area into a thriving residential, business and entertainment district that will build generational wealth not only for the Bears, but families throughout the Chicago Southland.”
A Bears spokesman declined to comment.
Country Club Hills is the fifth suburb to publicly court the team since its flirtation with Arlington Heights hit the rocks in June, when the Bears said the $197 million Arlington Park property they bought was no longer their “singular focus” for a new stadium. That’s because local school districts have pushed back against team efforts to lower their property taxes.
Given that opening, the mayors of Naperville, Waukegan, Aurora and Richton Park have all tried to position themselves as viable options. Still, Arlington Heights remains a strong contender for the stadium.
A few state legislators have also floated Rockford as a far-flung potential home for the Bears, but officials in the city 90 miles northwest of Soldier Field have not made a pitch.
Meanwhile, the team has said it’s had “positive and productive discussions” with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about staying within their namesake city limits.
The team punted on efforts during the current legislative session in Springfield to land tax breaks for its proposed $5 billion Arlington Heights development. But it’s expected to make another run at state lawmakers in January.
