Gary mayor unveils renderings for new Bears stadium, offers tax certainty
GARY, Ind.(WGN) – The fight for a new Chicago Bears stadium intensifies as the city of Gary, Indiana, announces its bid for the team.
Titled “The Ultimate Comeback Story,” Gary Mayor Eddie Melton unveiled his city’s proposal for the new Bears stadium and said Gary should not be overlooked.
“They just passed Senate Bill 27, which would create this authority to help build a facility for bears,” Melton said.
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According to Melton, Indiana offers the Bears organization the tax certainty they were looking for, as state lawmakers passed legislation to help secure the project.
(Photo: City of Gary)
“The fact that our governor has already made the commitment to say we will do whatever it takes to get the Bears here, I don’t think that’s an opportunity that a business would want to pass up,” Melton said.
Gary offers three options that he says are ready for immediate development.
The first is the Gary West End Entertainment District, adjacent to the Hard Rock Casino, Indiana’s highest-grossing gaming location. Gary officials claim the area is a proven entertainment destination.
The second location is Buffington Harbor. Officials said it is a premier waterfront opportunity with well-established infrastructure and quick access to various modes of transportation.
Finally, Miller Beach is described as a unique footprint adjacent to miles of sandy beaches and Indiana Dunes National Park, which attracts three million visitors annually.
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“This is the Chicagoland area. Just because we have this invisible border line doesn’t stop us from working together,” Melton said.
The mayor added that Gary has been transformed with a historic decrease in violent crime and population growth for the first time in 50 years, something that has brought new business investment and expansion to the city.
“We’re seeing an increasing number of Chicago residents looking at Gary, Indiana, and building new homes. We’re making it inviting and enticing and making it safe and secure to increase the population,” Melton said.
He argued that although his city was another state away, it was closer to downtown Chicago and more accessible than Arlington Heights, another city that had aggressively bid for the project, but stalled without a bill that would help limit the team’s property tax bill.
Under Cook County’s current tax structure, the Bears would reportedly pay approximately $200 million annually for their new stadium; that’s an astronomical amount compared to other NFL teams.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also weighed in on a possible move in Indiana.
“I believe it’s best for the Bears to stay in the state of Illinois. I don’t think fans want the Bears to be in any other state other than Illinois, and frankly I think we should be talking about crushing the Rams at this point, not a stadium,” Pritzker said.
Melton said he met with lawmakers in person this week and is confident that development in Gary can happen as quickly as the team needs.
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