(The Center Square) – The Chicago Bears are moving forward with plans to build a stadium in Northwest Indiana.
Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President & CEO Kevin Warren said Friday that the team’s board of directors voted on Thursday to advance their stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, with the exact site to be selected.
“We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana to the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city,” McCaskey and Warren said in a statement.
The announcement comes four days after the Illinois legislature adjourned without advancing stadium bills.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun asked Hoosiers to help him welcome the Bears.
“We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the ’85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our state and the Bears organization for decades to come,” Braun said in a social media post.
On Feb. 26, Braun signed legislation creating a framework for a new Bears stadium in Hammond. Indiana Senate Bill 27 provides for a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, a 5% hotel tax in Lake County, a 12% ticket tax and the capture of new property taxes at the development.
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said Illinois focused on the needs of working families and not taxpayer-funded stadiums.
“Illinois remains open to ongoing efforts to secure the Bears in Illinois. However, it will take time to get it right,” Welch said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the announcement is not surprising.
“It’s also not surprising that Bears officials have stated this vote does not mean a move to Hammond is a done deal,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The mayor’s office said the city will continue to engage in discussions until there are shovels in the ground in Hammond.
