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Indiana Pushes Bears Stadium Bill Forward as Chicago Park District Pitches $630 Million Soldier Field Reuse

Financing details now drive the Bears’ stadium talks, with Chicago pivoting to a $630 million concert-focused plan for Soldier Field.

Soldier Field sits in front of the Chicago skyline on a cold day on Jan. 22, 2026. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Wolf Lake Memorial Park, which is visible from Lost Marsh Golf Course, is preferred site for a proposed Chicago Bears stadium in Hammond, Indiana, on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)
Image
A field at the south side of Wolf Lake Memorial Park, part of an area that may be designated to build a potential Chicago Bears Stadium in Hammond, can be seen from Lost Marsh Golf Course on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (Kyle Telechan/for the Post-Tribune)

Overview

  • Indiana’s House advanced SB 27 toward final consideration, outlining a stadium authority, a PSDA in Hammond and layered local taxes including a 1% food and beverage tax, a 5% Lake County innkeepers tax and a 12% admissions tax.
  • The Bears publicly called Indiana’s progress the most meaningful step in their planning yet while saying they continue to negotiate with Illinois officials.
  • In Illinois, a House Revenue and Finance Committee hearing Thursday will take up a bill to enable long-term property tax arrangements tied to the team’s Arlington Heights site, which the Bears purchased for about $197 million.
  • The Chicago Park District is quietly pitching a $630 million Soldier Field conversion into a year-round concerts and events venue, with roughly $130 million for stadium upgrades and about $500 million for surrounding infrastructure.
  • Park District figures cite a potential early-termination payment of nearly $90 million from the Bears, outstanding Soldier Field renovation debt of about $467 million backed by hotel taxes and a revenue mix where more than 80% already comes from non-NFL events.