By now, we know the current state of things. The Illinois legislature shot down the Chicago Bears’ megaprojects bill in the Senate. They quickly introduced a new bill that would’ve provided everything the team needed, but after passing it, the bill went back to the House, where it failed to pass before the spring legislative session expired. This put the Bears in a compromising position. Either they wait and hope the state government calls a special session to address the issue, or they pivot fully to Hammond, Indiana.
They chose the latter.
This was primarily done for political reasons. The Bears could not afford to look weak by sitting on their hands waiting for Illinois to do something. However, there may have been another reason why they chose to move on Hammond with more urgency. Mary Ann Ahern of NBC Chicago 5 was the first to provide some details.
Sources familiar with negotiations between the Bears and Indiana officials told NBC Chicago Political Reporter Mary Ann Ahern that the team is eyeing a second Hammond site, not far from the Wolf Lake tract that has been the primary focus of lawmakers and team officials up until this point.
Ahern spoke to Indiana State Rep. Earl Harris about the state of play in the ongoing stadium saga.
“There is a chance that there could be another site in Hammond,” he said. “I would say at this point, as long as it lands in Hammond in northwest Indiana, we’ll be very happy.”
This was later confirmed by Hammond mayor Thomas McDermott during a speech to local townsfolk and leaders. That location is the Lost Marsh Golf Course, around two miles east of the originally planned site of Wolf Lake.
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The Chicago Bears have good reasons for the shift.
While the Wolf Lake site is larger in surface area, one problem has likely slowed the team’s willingness to make the jump. The lake is considered an active aquatic ecosystem and wildlife refuge. Had the Bears looked to build on certain portions of the wetlands, they would’ve been confronted by the Environmental Protection Agency and faced years of expensive litigation. That doesn’t include structural disputes with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It would’ve been a headache.
Such is not the case with Lost Marsh. Unlike Wolf Lake, it sits on a solid man-made foundation. The golf course was built over an old industrial landfill. Hammond capped and restored the site years ago, passing every safety inspection with flying colors. Recent tests conducted by the Bears have also come back clean. There would be no environmental fight from the federal government. Most importantly, it is cheap. Reports indicate it’d cost no more than $30 million to purchase from the city.
Time is running out for Illinois.
Maybe Hammond was a bluff at first. The Chicago Bears wanted to get their attention so the government would take their issue seriously. That has changed. Indiana is offering a sweet deal. They’re prepared to finance everything except the stadium’s construction, which is fine with the Bears. They’ve been prepared to handle that from the beginning. Property taxes? Infrastructure? All taken care of. All the franchise has to do is find a spot they like and pick it. Lost Marsh sounds like it might be growing into the favorite.
This might explain why Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker stated in a recent public interview that he’d be willing to call a special session of the legislature this summer to resume efforts to pass a bill allowing the Bears to build in Arlington Heights. He senses the danger. That is probably why McDermott is so confident. He knows Illinois doesn’t have nearly the unity or leadership necessary to salvage the situation. It’s Hammond’s race to lose, and adding a potentially better building site might’ve been the killing blow.
