A coalition of community groups has come together to oppose the Chicago Bears’ plans for a new lakefront stadium.
The organizations planned to gather Wednesday outside Soldier Field to call for a halt of plans to build a new enclosed facility just south of the current stadium.
The gathering is led by Friends of the Parks, the nonprofit group that waged a successful fight against the plans of Star Wars creator George Lucas for a museum on the same site.
Friends says that dozens of groups representing the city’s racial, economic, civic and geographic diversity have come together to announce their opposition.
Participants include speakers from the People’s Council of Southeast Chicago, People for Community Recovery, and Landmarks Illinois. The environmental group Openlands has also come out against the new stadium.
“The people you see here also represent city leaders — the grassroot taxpayers who keep this city operating. That’s who we’re asking our elected officials to protect by ensuring Chicago’s lakefront remains ‘forever open, clear and free’ for future generations,” Friends of the Parks Executive Director Gin Kilgore said in a statement.
The Bears have proposed putting up $2.3 billion for the stadium, while seeking $1.5 billion in taxpayer financing, and up to another $1.5 billion in public infrastructure.
The franchise previously spent nearly $200 million to buy the former Arlington International Racecourse in Arlington Heights for a domed stadium and multi-use development. But the team turned its focus to the lakefront after a dispute over property taxes on the suburban site, with team President Kevin Warren saying the lakefront was the ideal spot.
The Bears had hoped to get state lawmakers’ approval this spring to start construction next year. But Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other top lawmakers have thrown cold water on the idea of subsidizing a multi-billion dollar private business, saying they have other higher priorities.