Portage’s “Halas Harbor” proposal the latest aiming to lure Bears to Northwest Indiana
· Yahoo Sports
CHICAGO (WGN) — The two-state competition to build a new Chicago Bears stadium is nearing the home stretch.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is still pushing for a seemingly dead plan to keep the Bears along the lakefront in Chicago, while supporters of a Bears stadium development in Arlington Heights and Portage, Indiana, are scheduled to hold press conferences on Wednesday.
The team sits in an advantageous position, considering they now have five possible suitors, when throwing Gary and Hammond, Indiana, into the mix. But it was Portage pulling out all the punches on Tuesday, with what city officials describe as their “Halas Harbor” development.
City of Portage Mayor Austin Bonta released a sneak peek video of a piece of property where “the Chicago Bears have an opportunity to call an audible,” as the video describes.
As for the official details of the proposal, they will become available at Portage’s Wednesday press conference, which is scheduled to kick off at noon.
“Hammond … Arlington Heights … They aren’t Chicago,” Johnson said. “They’re not.”
Johnson is banking on still being able to sell the Bears on staying in Chicago purely based off the city’s gravitas, while supporters of other Bears stadium proposals, like Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, argue it’s a boon to not be Chicago in this situation.
“That’s an advantage,” Melton said. “Given available and more affordable land on Gary’s lakefront with proximity to the Hard Rock Casino and South Shore train connections.
Both Gary and Portage have easy access to area interstates and tollways as well, and that comes with the State of Indiana passing legislation to create new funding mechanisms through NISA — otherwise known as the Northwest Indiana Sports Authority.
Meanwhile, back in Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker has offered optimism that the state legislature are on the same page with the Bears when it comes to a public funding package for infrastructure around the Arlington Heights stadium site.
“There’s a lot of discussion, a lot of ongoing conversation with the Bears,” Pritzker said on Monday. “And indeed, frankly, progress has been made. I’m pleased about that.”
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