Megaprojects bill could save Bears millions on new stadium property taxes for decades: analysis

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]How would you like to save more than $39 a year on your property tax bill? That's the case for the Chicago Bears. That's if they build their new stadium in Arlington Heights. What's going on everyone? I'm Brett Beganski. I cover the Bears off the field. This new tax study came out on Tuesday that questions economic impact and property tax fairness. That's if the Bears end up moving to Arlington Heights. Here's the short answer of the study. Good for the Bears, murky for you. The study talks about the mega projects bill, which right now is held up in the Senate. It would freeze the Bears property tax assessment for up to 40 years. So, what you're seeing right now is the land they already own. It's the former Arlington Park Racetrack. It's still undeveloped.

[00:00:36]So, over the course of several years and while they're building a potential new stadium in Arlington Heights, it would allow the Bears to make a special payment to the taxing bodies. But, we don't know what the payment is. But, the study also made some assumptions and acknowledged the unknown. Like, what's the market value of a 70,000 seat dome stadium in Illinois? We also don't know if that special payment from the Bears on a project of this magnitude would be significant enough to pay for police, fire, and here's the big one, schools.

[00:01:04]And the study was pretty clear. If that special payment isn't enough, the property tax burden falls on you. And this is all coming out when there's just days left in the Illinois legislative session. It ends on Sunday. The Bears said they're going to make their stadium announcement sometime this summer. So, what do you think? Is this a bad bill or is this a price of doing business? Let us know what you think.