The Bears’ Arlington Park plan is often described in one line: a $5 billion domed stadium. The actual proposal is a whole new district. Here is what the team has described, based on its 2025 studies and public statements. Keep in mind this is a concept, not an approved project. The Bears have not filed a site plan with the village, and since June 2026 the team’s official focus has been Hammond, Indiana.
The stadium
- An enclosed (domed) stadium of about 60,000 seats.
- The Bears have committed about $2 billion of their own money to the stadium.
- The team wants it to host Super Bowls, College Football Playoff games and NCAA Final Fours. Team president Kevin Warren has mentioned a Super Bowl as early as 2031.
- Construction would take about three years once approved.
The district around it
| Element | 2025 plan |
|---|---|
| Retail | 300,000 square feet |
| Office | 200,000 square feet |
| Housing | 1,150 apartments and townhomes |
| Hotels | 2 hotels, about 400 rooms |
| Total project | About $5 billion |
| Phasing | Stadium first; the rest about 7 years later |
How often it would be used
The 2025 studies assume a busy calendar beyond football:
That works out to roughly 21 large public events a year, plus hundreds of private events such as meetings, banquets and smaller gatherings.
What the public would be asked to pay for
The Bears have said they don’t want state money for the stadium building itself. They have asked for about $855 million in public infrastructure, such as Route 53 work, sewers, local roads and Metra changes, plus long-term certainty about property taxes. No itemized infrastructure list has been published. A deal reported by Crain’s on October 29, 2026, based on unnamed sources, would have a public authority own the stadium so it pays no property tax, with the state covering roads. That deal has not been filed or confirmed.
What’s still missing
- A formal planned-development application and site plan with the village
- The Bears’ traffic study, paused in fall 2025
- A final seating capacity and design
- Stormwater, noise and lighting plans
- A signed development agreement
If a deal passes in the veto session (November 17–19 and December 1–3), these documents would come next, and each would get public hearings in Arlington Heights. I’ll post them as they become available.
Sources
- Daily Herald: Arlington Heights could collect $15M a year from Bears stadium
- ABC7: Warren letter to fans on Arlington Heights
- Axios Chicago: Infrastructure ask and renderings
- Village of Arlington Heights: Arlington Park redevelopment
- FOX 32/AP: Chicago awaits its own Super Bowl
- Pro Football Talk (citing Crain’s): Bears close to a deal to stay in Illinois
- ChicagoBears.com: Stadium focus remains solely on Hammond