Posted on 09/29/2021 4:56:41 AM PDT by Salman
Three-and-a-half months after putting in a bid to buy the Arlington International Racecourse property, the Bears have signed a purchase agreement for the 326-acre plot, a mayoral spokesperson said late Tuesday night.
It’s the latest — but not final — step toward moving the team from Soldier Field to the site, located 6 miles north of the Northwest Tollway, which held its last race Saturday.
The Bears said in June that they were among the groups to put in a bid to purchase the property. If the franchise’s bid was accepted, the team said then, it would be able to “further evaluate the property and its potential.” That is the case now, though the team could still negotiate with the city to remain on the lakefront.
The team told Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about the purchase agreement Tuesday night.
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(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.suntimes.com ...
Heh. I grew-up there too, from 1955 - 1967, when I graduated from Prospect HS, lived in Stonegate next to NW Highway, and our Family moved to NJ. I remember when the track burned down, and they finally rebuilt it. I think Arlington was 40,000 when we moved, and getting larger.
So after all that work they did to upgrade Soldier Field they move.
You’re right about the traffic - not a lot of easy access from the expressways except for Route 53. I’ll be curious to see if they build a Metra station at the site as the Arlington Heights stops currently aren’t all that convenient to the track (or a new stadium).
Speaking of Chicago burbs area, how come this Comfort Inn at Downers Grove for breakfast we have to ask the front desk to serve us coffee plus only a measly granola bar. Utter Covid BS tactic. Sure puts the ‘downer’ in Downers Grove.
—”back in the mid 1980s some sort of talk about how they were going to build”
Da Bears bought an option (CHEAP) on a farm in unincorporated Bloomingdale, Il.
All over the news, not far from where I lived.
IMO, it was just a bargaining ploy to squeeze more from the taxpayers.
Stadiums are money pits purchased by suckers.
Never ever give the taxpayer an even break.
—” I’ll be curious to see if they build a Metra station at the site as the Arlington Heights “
Ever notice that 53 for many years just north of the race track?
The great and greedy toll commission owns land through Lake county for the mystery extension.
Here in DuPage it is accepted as a fact, 53 expressway was built just for Duchossois and his track.
—”Unlike Chicago it is not overrun with feral types and still policed.”
BUILD IT, AND THEY WILL COME.
There is Metra station/stop at the Race Track, been there for decades. The Euclid and the Northwest Highway (sr 14) exits off rt 53 would need to be beefed up. There is a lot of land there to work with.
And didn’t they do that complete reconstruction of Soldier Field less than 20 years ago? Geez, even seemingly “new” stadiums are considered old and obsolete really fast nowadays.
A few other teams have built new stadiums after only about 20 years. The Texas Rangers, and both the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves come to mind. The Washington Redskins, whose stadium opened in 1997, are also talking about a new stadium.
I read the city poured $600 million in “renovations” into Soldier Field to get the Bears to stay. In the process, they made the stadium the NFL’s smallest, with only 61,000 seats. Of course, the teams aren’t as worried about general attendance as they once were; it’s all about the TV money and revenue from skyboxes, concessions and even parking.
And obviously, there hasn’t been much to cheer about in recent years, given “Da Bears” performance on the field. And I’m sure some pols and contractors cleaned up on the Soldier Field remodeling, which was the real purpose of the project. It’s the Chicago Way.
movin to the burbs
gee, I just can’t imagine why /sarc
I remember walking back to the car from a night game at Comiskey without worry.....Ah, them’s the days.
20 years ago, They spent a S***LOAD of $$$$$ to remodel what had been a wonderfully designed stadium, with that great monument to the soldiers in WW 1, into a modern nightmare of a facility that resembled something designed by salvador dali, and now they want A NEW ONE????!!!!
Da Bears are gonna stick it to Groot. They're going out there.
Churchill sold Hollywood Park for the exact. same. purpose. : SoFi Stadium, the new home of the RamChargers. LOL
Churchill will eventually sell the Fair Grounds for the new Superdome.
How do you think CDI can afford to announce just yesterday a repurchase of 500M in shares?! LOL
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