Watch Arlington Heights is an independent website that follows the Chicago Bears’ proposal to build a stadium and mixed-use district on the former Arlington Park racetrack property, and what that proposal means for Arlington Heights and its neighbors.
The site is run by Joe Bjorklund. It is not affiliated with the Chicago Bears, the NFL, the Village of Arlington Heights, the State of Illinois or any campaign.
What you’ll find here
- Status updates on the stadium proposal, clearly separating what is confirmed from what is only reported.
- Plain-English explainers on the legislation, property taxes, infrastructure and the other sites the Bears have considered.
- Local reference pages about Arlington Heights itself: population, schools, transportation, housing, parks and village government.
How I gather information
Posts are compiled from public reporting by local and regional news outlets, government documents (village agreements, bills, meeting records), public datasets such as the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, and statements from the people and organizations involved. Every post links its sources at the bottom so you can check them yourself.
When a detail comes from anonymous sources or hasn’t been confirmed by an official document or statement, I label it as reported or unconfirmed.
Corrections
If something here is wrong or out of date, please let me know. I correct errors promptly and note significant corrections at the bottom of the affected post.
If the stadium doesn’t happen
This site exists because the Arlington Park proposal is one of the biggest decisions in the village’s history. I’ll keep covering it for as long as it’s a live question.