A new proposal to keep the Bears at Soldier Field has pushed the team’s stadium fight back into Chicago’s political conversation. Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson unveiled a five-point plan this week that calls for a dome, a larger stadium and a Super Bowl bid.
Axios Chicago reported that Wilson’s proposal would expand Soldier Field to 70,000 seats, seek an NFL Super Bowl and use the former Michael Reese Hospital property for a nearby Bears practice facility. It also calls for a 10-year property-tax cap.
The plan arrives while the Bears are focused on a privately controlled stadium and entertainment district elsewhere. The team has considered Hammond, Indiana, and Arlington Heights, while city and state officials have not produced a financing and property-tax structure that resolves the team’s concerns.
That gap is the story’s practical limit. Wilson’s proposal gives Chicago voters a new version of the keep-the-Bears-home argument, but it does not represent a team commitment or a completed public deal. The Bears’ stated preference remains a development they can own and operate around a new stadium.