Coalition grows as plans to oppose new Chicago Bears stadium take form

CHICAGO (WGN) — Friends of the Parks and their fellow allies spoke out for the first time Wednesday on the proposed plan for the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium along the lakefront.

FOTP officials said they are in the beginning stages of forming a coalition where the central goal is to oppose the current stadium proposal and express concerns over the ultimate cost to taxpayers.

“While we would love the Chicago Bears to stay in the city, we object to the site they have selected and the ultimate cost to city residents,” said Gin Kilgore, Executive Director of Friends of the Parks.

Kilgore led a press conference Wednesday afternoon addressing the Bears’ stadium proposal, where she staunchly opposed where it currently stands.

“Our position is that we oppose the proposal, as we understand it, to build a new stadium on the lakefront and destroy Soldier Field,” Kilgore said.

In the proposal, the team said it would replace Soldier Field with a state-of-the-art, fixed-roof stadium that would allow the city to host major sporting events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.

The plan, which comes with an estimated $5 billion price tag, also incorporates developing 14 acres of public use athletic fields and recreational park spaces.

“The current proposal for a new stadium includes demolishing Soldier Field, except for the columns and the war memorial,” said Kendra Parzen, Advocacy Manager for Landmarks Illinois. “Such a plan falls short of rightfully preserving and honoring the stadium originally built as a monument for U.S. service men and women.”

On Wednesday morning, Governor JB Pritzker was asked about the Bears stadium proposal and other teams in the city looking to build a new home for themselves, where he reiterated his stance that the state should not provide the projects any public funding.

“We want Illinois businesses to do well,” Pritzker said. “This is a privately owned business. If I can find some way to assist, great! But right now, there is no building any new stadiums.”

A spokesperson with the Bears shared the following statement in response to a request for comment on this story:

“The Chicago Bears have been an active member of the Chicago community for over 100 years—a legacy we are excited to build upon as we work toward investing $2 billion to replace Soldier Field with a state-of-the-art, enclosed stadium that will create over 43,000 construction jobs and more than 4,000 permanent jobs. Our plan also increases the green and open space and provides more year-round access to the lakefront.” – Chicago Bears

Officials with FOTP and their allies said they are willing to meet with the City of Chicago and the Bears organization to discuss their stadium proposal.

The Office of the Mayor has not returned WGN News’ requests for comment on this story.

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