The Chicago Bears say communications with Illinois lawmakers this summer have been "minimal" as the organization intensifies efforts to build a new stadium in Hammond, Indiana, confirming that the club's focus remains across state lines even after months of debate in Springfield.
Team narrows Hammond options, continues land studies
At a news conference Thursday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Bears Chairman George McCaskey and President and CEO Kevin Warren reiterated the franchise's plan to pursue a stadium in northwest Indiana. The team has identified two adjoining sites under consideration: the Lost Marsh Golf Course and the Wolf Lake Terminals, both in Hammond.
Warren said the club has finished due diligence on the Lost Marsh site and found it "viable for construction," while studies at Wolf Lake are ongoing. He also said the team has not ruled out combining the two parcels into a single development.
"I don't know why it hit a dead end in Springfield," Warren said. "But we've been very clear the last couple years the things that we've always needed is property tax certainty, we need infrastructure certainty. That’s what we’ve needed. So that has not changed."
The team's due diligence, Warren added, has included "topographical, geological and environmental analysis" of the land. The Bears are also assembling what Warren described as a capital stack to contribute to a proposed $2 billion effort to build a stadium and surrounding mixed-use development.
Limited contact with Illinois lawmakers
Both Warren and McCaskey used the term "minimal" to characterize conversations with Illinois legislators since the franchise's board in June voted to focus its stadium effort on Hammond. That decision followed Illinois lawmakers' adjournment in late May and early June without enacting a measure to provide the Bears with the tax or infrastructure assurances the team has sought.
Those legislative efforts included competing proposals. The Illinois House advanced a bill that would have allowed the Bears to negotiate a special tax payment with local governments in the Arlington Heights area in lieu of higher property taxes. A separate proposal in the Senate would have created a public finance authority designed to enable a public-private partnership structure for teams like the Bears. Neither measure was finalized before lawmakers left Springfield for summer recess.
Where things stand and what comes next
With the franchise's stated priorities unchanged — property tax certainty and infrastructure guarantees — the Bears are proceeding with planning in Indiana. The team declined to detail specific timelines for construction, permitting or final site selection beyond saying that studies at Wolf Lake are continuing and that a merger of the two Hammond properties is a possibility.
Local and regional officials in northwest Indiana have previously engaged with the team about potential development, but Warren's Thursday remarks made clear the organization's work now centers on completing site analysis and arranging financing.
- Sites under review: Lost Marsh Golf Course (due diligence complete); Wolf Lake Terminals (analysis ongoing)
- Key needs cited by team: property tax certainty and infrastructure certainty
- Estimated team proposal: $2 billion toward stadium and multi-use development
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Lost Marsh Golf Course | Due diligence complete — deemed viable |
| Wolf Lake Terminals | Due diligence ongoing |
| Discussions with Illinois lawmakers | Described by team as "minimal" |
The Bears' June announcement to pursue a Hammond stadium came days after the Illinois legislature adjourned without resolving last-minute negotiations aimed at keeping the franchise in-state. That unresolved path in Springfield remained a central point in Thursday's update.
Leaders of the team framed the move as driven by long-standing needs rather than a sudden change in direction, emphasizing that the club had been seeking assurances around taxation and infrastructure for several years. The Bears did not release further specifics about potential public or private partners, staged financing or a construction schedule at the news conference.
As the project advances, it is likely to attract continued attention from Illinois officials, suburban communities formerly in contention to host a stadium, and Indiana authorities weighing the regional development implications. For now, the Bears are proceeding with site work in Hammond while characterizing contact with Illinois lawmakers this summer as limited.
— Danielle Osei, State Correspondent
