The Bears have submitted paperwork with the Village of Arlington Heights to begin the demolition of Arlington International Racecourse, a team official confirmed late Wednesday.
If the permit is approved, it would signal the official end of what was once the jewel of the Chicago area’s horse-racing community. It would not, however, guarantee the Bears will build a football stadium on the 326-acre property, the team official stressed. The Bears still want property-tax certainty and for someone else to pay for infrastructure that surrounds the site, which will include hotels, restaurants and shops. The Bears have said they will not seek taxpayer money to fund the stadium itself.
