INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) – Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston was quick on Friday to dismiss the suggestion that Illinois could still be in the running to retain the Chicago Bears.
“Done deal. This is going to happen in Hammond, Indiana,” Huston told I-Team 8. “And we can’t wait to start getting shovels in the dirt.”
In a Friday statement, the Bears said its board of directors voted to “advance our stadium development project in Hammond”.
Huston, a Republican, made it clear he doesn’t see any ambiguity in the team’s announcement. “I told the Bears, I said if I’m going to carry this, we’re going to get it across the finish line."
“It’s a big deal,” Huston said. “It’s not just about a stadium. It’s about everything that will happen around the stadium.”
There’s no set timeline on when construction could start or when the Bears could kick off their inaugural season in the Hoosier state. The Bears said an “exact site” needs to be selected. The Wolf Lake area had been previously floated.
“The Chicago Bears chose Hammond, Indiana because they see what I have said for years: Hammond is a successful city of opportunity and possibility, an excellent choice for such a significant investment,” Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott, a Democrat, said in a statement. “The city of Hammond and the entirety of Northwest Indiana will benefit from this transformative investment.”
The announcement follows the Illinois Senate failing to pass a “megaprojects” bill that would have set up property tax rates to help to build a new Chicago Bears stadium in Illinois.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, is still holding out hope. His office released a statement claiming the Board of Directors vote doesn't guarantee the team's move to Indiana. "Without a final site selection, until we see shovels in the ground in Hammond, the City of Chicago will continue to engage in discussions grounded in the interests of our residents."
Bears management has ruled out remaining in the city of Chicago itself, where the team has played since 1922.
When asked about the possibility of Illinois holding a special session to pass a megaprojects bill and bring the Bears back to the negotiating table, Huston wasn’t worried. “I think the Bears have chosen Indiana," Huston said. “It's a great day for Indiana.”
Under a broad framework Indiana agreed to in February, the Chicago Bears will commit $2 billion to develop a stadium in Hammond. Public funding could top $1 billion.
A newly established Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority can finance and develop everything needed, with the ability to sign no-bid contracts, buy property, and set leasing terms without state government approval.
Lake and Porter counties will be asked to adopt a 1% food and beverage tax, along with an additional 5% innkeepers' tax in Lake County.
State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, believes the "transformational" benefits of luring the Bears will far outweigh the cost of public dollars going to the project. He’s been waiting for this moment since his father tried to lure the Bears to Indiana in the 1990s. “What it will mean in terms of young people, career options here in their backyards, they won't have to leave for.”
Economic development expert John Boyd said the type of mixed-use development the Bears are looking for in their next stadium makes these kinds of deals mutually beneficial between teams and local communities.
“The traditional thought amongst economists is that these deals are losers for taxpayers. What changes the equation is the mixed-use component,” Boyd said. “New houses, new office space, new retail, new hotels that otherwise would not be happening at this scale, at this density, and at the timeline if it were not for this stadium.”
