Mayor Thinks Bears Could Be Good Fit For Arlington Racetrack

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — With rumors circulating that the Chicago Bears could possibly leave Soldier Field and play home games at a new stadium on the property that houses the soon-to-be vacated Arlington International Racecourse, Mayor Tom Hayes is not ruling anything out.

"I really don't have anything to add about the Bears other than what was in the Crain's report except to say that they would be among a number of great fits for the Arlington Park property if interested," Hayes told Patch Thursday. "We have not had any discussions with them at this point."

Crain's Chicago Business reported Wednesday that during a phone conversation with Scott Hagel, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the Chicago Bears, the executive did not deny Arlington as a potential future fit for the team. When asked repeatedly if the Bears have had any talks with Churchill Downs about the 326-acre property, Hagel said, "our priority is about Soldier Field," reports Crain's.

On Thursday, when asked about any potential future movement of the Bears, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the team has a lease with Soldier Field through 2033 and the NFL "doesn't let teams break their leases." Lightfoot said she has had conversations with Bears executives in recent weeks.

"There are things that they would like to see differently at Soldier Field and we would like to do whatever we can to accommodate it," Lightfoot said. "It's a great iconic site, but it's a challenging site. I think it is incumbent on us as a city to step up and look at ways in which we can make sure that the Bears fans — but also the Bears as an organization — have the best opportunities to maximize the fan experience and of course maximize revenues."

Opening Day for a 68-day horse racing meet at Arlington is set to kick off Friday and will conclude on Sept. 25. It may be the final season of racing as the flagship racetrack for horse racing in Illinois was put up for sale in February by Churchill Downs Incorporated, the Kentucky-based company that runs Arlington.

NFL Draft 2021: Start Time, When The Chicago Bears Pick

Discussions of the Bears moving to Arlington Heights have been around for decades. When a fire decimated the grandstand and clubhouse at the old Arlington Park in 1985 — closing the racetrack for several years — Bears President Michael McCaskey and Richard Duchossois, owner of Arlington at the time, discussed the possibility of building a stadium at the site. That didn't come to fruition as the racetrack fully reopened for horse racing in 1989 with a new name, Arlington International Racecourse. McCaskey died in 2020.

Soldier Field, located near Chicago's South Side, opened in 1924 and is the NFL's oldest stadium. The Bears began playing there in 1971 after leaving Wrigley Field. It has a football capacity of 61,500 fans.

Last week, during a call to investors, Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc., said the company is currently entertaining bids for Arlington with a preliminary bid date set. He is expecting to continue receiving interest through the end of June, the conclusion of the company's second financial quarter.

"Arlington's ideal location in Chicago's northwest suburbs, together with direct access to downtown Chicago via an on-site Metra rail station, presents a unique redevelopment opportunity," Carstanjen said in February. "We expect to see robust interest in the site and look forward to working with potential buyers, in collaboration with the Village of Arlington Heights, to transition this storied location to its next phase."

Patch Editor Mark Konkol contributed to this report.

RELATED:

• Arlington Racetrack Releases Stakes Schedule For Final Season
• 'Sad Day' In Arlington Heights As Racetrack Goes Up For Sale

Stay Patched In!

• Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Arlington Heights news
• Check out the Events Calendar for what's going on in Arlington Heights
• Like our Crime page on Facebook
• Patch Mobile: Get app for iPhone and Android