The Bears own the land, but they have not committed to building on it. Since June 5, 2026, the team’s official focus has been Hammond, Indiana. A deal to keep the team in Illinois, possibly in Arlington Heights, was reported by Crain’s on October 29 but has not been confirmed or filed as a bill. So a fair question for residents is what happens to the 326 acres if the stadium never comes.
What the mayor has ruled out
Mayor Jim Tinaglia has been the stadium’s loudest local supporter. In August 2026 he also drew some lines for the site’s future. According to the Daily Herald, he said the land will not become a data center campus, a trucking or logistics center, or a storage facility. He said the best fit is the Bears, but that another NFL or Major League Baseball team could use the site. He also said neither the village nor the team has contingency plans.
What the zoning allows today
The property sits in the village’s Arlington Race Course overlay zone. In 2022 the village amended that zoning, including adding a sports wagering facility as a special use, and it approved a Pre-Development Agreement with the Bears on November 7, 2022. Those are still the village’s main formal tools for the site. The Bears have not filed a planned-development application or a master site plan. The village says public hearings will come once formal plans are submitted, and it keeps the right to approve or reject any plan.
In practical terms, anything new on the land, whether a stadium or something else, would have to go through the village’s planning process and public hearings.
The tax clock keeps running
Even an empty site pays property taxes. Under a December 2024 agreement among the village, the Bears’ development company and School Districts 15, 211 and 214, the site’s assessed value is fixed at about $125 million, which works out to roughly $3.6 million a year in taxes. That agreement covers tax years 2025 through 2027. Reports differ on what happens after: one account says taxes rise 2% to 5% a year starting in 2028 if the team has not committed to build, while the village says the term can be extended if development milestones are met.
Who decides
- The Bears decide whether to build, sell or hold the land. They paid $197.2 million for it.
- The Village Board controls zoning and approvals for any use.
- The state controls the tax and infrastructure legislation the Bears say they need. The next chance is the veto session, November 17–19 and December 1–3, 2026.
What I’m watching
If the veto session ends without a deal, the land question becomes much more real. Expect more attention on the 2027 end of the tax agreement, on whether the Bears would ever sell, and on what kind of development the village would welcome. I’ll update this post as the picture changes.
Sources
- Daily Herald: Mayor still hopeful Bears will “reverse this ship”
- Village of Arlington Heights: Arlington Park redevelopment
- Patch: Bears would pay $3.6M in property taxes under agreement
- CBS Chicago: Bears prioritize Arlington Heights
- Pro Football Talk (citing Crain’s): Bears close to a deal to stay in Illinois
- ChicagoBears.com: Stadium focus remains solely on Hammond