Facts make Hammond best place for Bears

Let the Bears move to Hammond, and leave Arlington Heights alone. A massive sports stadium/complex does not belong in a residential neighborhood and will destroy our beautiful, charming community.

Arlington Heights is the wrong location for many significant reasons, as follows:

Taxpayers are at risk as lawmakers rush to pass a Bears stadium bill giving the Bears a long-term tax break. The tax burden should not be shifted onto local taxpayers, including homeowners and businesses. Protecting tax-burdened Illinoisans from even higher property taxes should be non-negotiable.

Local infrastructure is not designed to handle 60,000-plus fans multiple times per week for Bears games, concerts and other sports events that will create massive traffic congestion and require significant infrastructure upgrades to roadways, sewer, water and power grids. Local agencies will be burdened with costly infrastructure upgrades, and these costs will be passed on to the local taxpayers.

Local police and fire departments will require significant, costly expansions to manage the security and emergency needs of a major stadium complex.

Local school districts will suffer financially due to the lost tax revenue while the Bears profits soar with the stadium bill tax break. A seat at the negotiating table will not guarantee a fair share of the tax revenue.

The Hammond site is much more suitable for the Bears stadium for numerous reasons, including:

The site is located immediately across the state line, maintaining access to the primary fan base.

The site features extensive lakefront property, providing enough room for a stadium, parking and a major entertainment district.

The location offers easier access and potential infrastructure benefits from being near major highways and the Gary-Chicago International Airport.

If a stadium makes economic sense, it should be able to stand on its own merits. This stadium deal is a no-win for the Northwest suburbs.

Rodney Bettenhausen

Palatine