Bears test – The Bears have begun soil testing at Wolf Lake Terminal as they narrow a stadium and mixed-use location near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana, while keeping their options open and weighing state-line property tax concerns.
For weeks, the Chicago Bears have been circling a stadium site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. Now that search has turned physical.
On Sunday. the Bears said they have begun testing land at Wolf Lake Terminal. a site west of Interstate 90 and near the team’s original proposed plot. In a statement. the Bears said they “have an excellent option already in place. ” but they are still looking at additional parcels across the Wolf Lake region to ensure “we place the stadium and mixed-use district in the very best location to serve all of Chicagoland.”.
The soil testing is “part of the normal site evaluation process,” the team said.
Wolf Lake Terminal, where the team is conducting the tests, houses storage facilities and other businesses—an added complication in a process that still hinges on choosing the right acreage and the right neighbors. The Bears have not committed publicly to building in Hammond yet.
Earlier this month, the team’s board of directors voted to move forward with its Hammond plans, but it stopped well short of promising a stadium there. At that time, the team said it still needed to narrow down the exact plot of land near Wolf Lake.
The Bears’ planning reaches beyond Indiana and into their remaining base in Illinois. The team owns 326 acres in Arlington Heights and remains open to continued talks with Illinois lawmakers.
Property tax concerns are part of why the search has expanded beyond state lines. In December, the Bears said they were expanding their stadium site search across state lines. By February. the Indiana legislature voted to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority—an entity intended to help with construction. funding. operating. and maintaining a stadium in Hammond.
Chicago Bears Hammond Indiana Wolf Lake stadium site Wolf Lake Terminal soil testing Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority Arlington Heights property tax
So they’re just digging dirt now? Cool cool.
Property tax concerns like always. Watch them pick Hammond then act surprised when the bills hit. Also Wolf Lake Terminal sounds like a storage yard not a stadium location.
Wait I thought Bears already picked the site? “Excellent option already in place” sounds like they’re sure but not sure? Either way, the state line thing is crazy to me… just build where you want and stop talking.
So the soil testing is part of “normal evaluation,” but it still sounds like they might back out of Hammond. Wolf Lake Terminal with businesses there, are they gonna move everybody? And why would the Illinois property taxes matter if they own the acres in Arlington Heights? Sounds like they’re using Hammond as leverage.