A proposal for a new domed stadium along the lakefront, just south of Soldier Field, has many Bears fans excited that the team plans to stay in the city.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Bears unveiled their plan for the project, which could cost up to $4.7 billion. Many fans said they are looking forward to a new stadium, although some have mixed feelings about the proposed location change from Arlington Heights.
For Robby Glick, owner of the Bears fan hub Reggie’s, the stadium staying on the lakefront means good business. Shuttles from the bar at 2105 S. State St. take as many as 900 people to and from Soldier Field on game days.
“Them staying there is great for us, but as a fan, I would not want the Bears to move out of the city of Chicago,” said Glick, 60. “Hopefully they learned their lesson because I was a season ticket holder and they didn’t get much right with the current stadium.”
Glick and other fans said Soldier Field is lacking in several areas, with not enough parking, bad concessions and long bathroom lines, among other complaints. He hopes they do better with the new stadium, adding that the renderings look “phenomenal.”
With the fixed dome roof, Glick is optimistic Chicago will get a Super Bowl soon — and that he won’t have to freeze during colder months of the season.
Courtney Fong, a Bears fan from the northern suburbs who runs a season ticket holders’ Facebook group, said he’s hopeful the stadium will mean more opportunities to host big events and bring more revenue and jobs to the city.
“I’ll still say that I think that the Bears will play in the Super Bowl before we host one,” he said.
The Bears’ plans also include developing the surrounding area with a hotel, bars and restaurants, and taxpayer-funded improvements to roads and other infrastructure to make the area more accessible.
For some fans, more development makes the area more of a destination. Tim Shanley, founder of the Chicago Bears Tailgate Club, lives in Austin, Texas, but flies in for every home game. Shanley, 64, said that development could be “a game changer.”
“If you’ve ever been to a Bears game, you know how hard it is to get there. It’s like it’s on an island,” Shanley said. “To have all that in there, the whole package like that, to revitalize the area, I think it’s a smart idea.”
But others worry it will come at the expense of parking and will increase congestion.
“Traffic has already been a mess down there, and with all of the adjacent things, it’s great that we’ll have more space, but it also means more people,” Fong said.
Space is one reason some fans feel conflicted about the Bears’ decision not to move forward with the Arlington Heights location.
Dennis Lindley, 53, from Aurora, said he has mixed feelings about the stadium plans. While he said he enjoys the lakefront games, he said Arlington Heights would have some benefits.
“I think there’ll be more room, potentially, out in Arlington Heights for parking lots and tailgates, to meet up with friends before the game,” Lindley said. “We have friends come in from Wisconsin and Indiana, Iowa, all the time, and it’s a chance to meet, but in Chicago it’s difficult.”
Although the funding for the plan remains unclear, and it could require some taxpayer dollars, some fans said the revenue it will generate and improvements to the area justify it. Glick said with the events a domed stadium can host, the cost will be worth it.
“One way or another, I guess we’re all kind of paying for it because it’s gonna raise the prices,” Lindley said. “But I do still think it’s a win-win.”
