“Yesterday, the Chicago Bears Board of Directors met and voted to advance our stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana.”
The Chicago Bears have said that they will be moving their home stadium from Illinois to Hammond, Indiana. The decision will place the team outside Illinois for the first time in its 106-year history. Indiana had given the Bears a favorable tax incentive package while Chicago was not able to do so.
"Yesterday, the Chicago Bears Board of Directors met and voted to advance our 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," a statement from Bears Chairman George H. McCaskey and President & CEO Kevin Warren said.
https://twitter.com/chicagobears/status/2062931548278513990
"It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses," the statement added.
The Bears had been proposed a deal that was approved from Indiana lawmakers a few months ago. The project with the new stadium will be backed by taxes on admissions, hotels, restaurants, as well as tolls, per the Chicago Star Tribune. The Bears organization has committed $2 billion te fund the project.
The team will keep the revenue generated by the stadium and also have the option to purchase the stadium in 40 years, after it has been paid off by Indiana taxpayers. The Beas will also not have to pay any property taxes.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's office said in a statement that the Bears have “spent the last six years, and especially the last few months, shifting their position on a stadium location” and that Friday “appears to be another instance of that.”
“It’s ... not surprising that Bears officials have stated this vote does not mean a move to Hammond is a done deal,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Without a final site selection, until we see shovels in the ground in Hammond, the City will continue to engage in discussions grounded in the interests of our residents.”
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