Developers Unveil $10B Stadium For Bears
A team of developers on Thursday unveiled another proposal to keep the Chicago Bears in the city, pitching a $10 billion stadium and entertainment district at the former Michael Reese Hospital site in Bronzeville.
The proposed Bronzeville Lakefront development would span about 100 acres and include a 75,000-seat stadium, more than 5,000 residential units, hotels, restaurants, recreational facilities and public space. Developers also said in a press release that they are willing to purchase the Bears’ Arlington Heights property if the team’s existing investment there is an obstacle to considering a Chicago location.
The proposal, announced by Capri Investment Group founder Quintin Primo III and GRIT Chicago, would expand the existing Bronzeville Lakefront development to include the nearby Prairie Shores apartment complex and proposed air rights over the McCormick Place Marshaling Yard. The developers say the expanded footprint would address previous concerns about whether a stadium could fit on the original Michael Reese site without encroaching on active railroad operations.
Shelby County Invests $10M in Athletics Facilities
Shelby County is investing $10 million to build two indoor athletic facilities on the Shelby Academic Campus, which are expected to open next fall.
The two facilities will serve various purposes. One will include practice space and locker rooms for softball and baseball, while the other will feature half of a football field.
Superintendent Josh Matthews emphasized that the spaces will be used for more than just sports.
"Our band, our advanced PE, our, obviously, football, soccer, lacrosse... everyone's going to be able to use it. We foresee this thing being used seven days a week," he said.
University of Nebraska Approves Next Phase of Athletics Campus Masterplan
The University of Nebraska System Board of Regents has approved the next phase of the Athletics Campus Masterplan located south of Center Street, which includes the development of two transformative projects that will be privately funded, modernizing the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s athletic facilities and elevating Omaha Athletics as a rising national power among NCAA Division I programs.
The projects — a state-of-the-art Omaha Athletics Training Facility and a new Omaha Athletics Baseball and Softball Clubhouse — would represent a fully philanthropic, $67.5 million investment in the holistic student-athlete experience.
