The Chicago Bears Board of Directors has officially voted to advance a new stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana, according to a joint statement released Friday by Chairman George H. McCaskey and President & CEO Kevin Warren.
The vote, which took place on Thursday, marks the first time in the franchise's 106-year history that the board has formally voted on a specific stadium site. The move signals a definitive shift toward Indiana following the Illinois legislature's failure to pass an incentive bill that would have provided property tax and infrastructure certainty for a proposed site in Arlington Heights.
"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," McCaskey and Warren said in the official team statement. "It will bring Chicagoland together and deliver new opportunities to its residents and businesses."
While an exact site in Hammond is still to be selected, the board's formal endorsement represents a major milestone in the team's search for a new home. Per @AdamSchefter, sources familiar with the situation indicate that "barring anything very strange, it's a done deal" for the team to eventually relocate across the state line.
The Bears had previously explored several locations in Illinois, including the former Michael Reese Hospital site and land adjacent to Soldier Field, but those efforts failed to gain necessary political and financial momentum.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Sources & Original Reporting