Chicago Bears Consider Building New Stadium Next To Soldier Field

Another interesting piece has been added to the saga of the Chicago Bears and their search for a new stadium, and there are apparently lots of opinions on whether or not the latest news about a possible site other than Arlington Heights would be a good thing, bad thing, or impossible thing.

When the stadium search began in earnest a year or so back, it really looked like there was only one contender for a new Chicago Bears stadium complex, and that was Arlington Heights.

If the Bears were planning on getting competing bids from other places, why would they have spent nearly $200 million for the 326 acres in Arlington Heights that used to be Arlington Race Course?

Other Illinois Cities Have Let The Chicago Bears Know That They'd Love To Have The Monsters Of The Midway Build Their Stadium Near Them, But The Latest Buzzed About Location Is Really, Really Close To Soldier Field

By really close, I mean that you could probably measure it in yards. According to published reports, the Chicago Bears are looking into the possibility of building a new stadium on the South Lot of Soldier Field.

Like Everything Else, You've Got People Who Like The Idea And Would Love To Keep The Chicago Bears In Chicago, But You Also Have Those Who Are Dead-Set Against This Particular Location--And Some Of Them Are Pretty Powerful

The powerful group against the idea of a new Chicago Bears stadium being built on the South Lot are the same group who shut down a very famous and powerful guy named George Lucas when he wanted to build a museum near there.

ABC7Chicago.com:

The valuable lakefront land owned by the Chicago Park District was once considered for a museum for the works of filmmaker George Lucas, but strenuous objections from Friends of the Parks played a role in Lucas instead building it in California.

Friends of the Parks has also objected to the Bears building there. They issued statement saying "Friends of the Parks most certainly will continue in its historic role of fending off attempts to develop real estate on the people's lakefront for private interests."

"If Friends of the Parks can stop George Lucas, my bet is they can stop George McCaskey too." WSCR radio host Matt Spiegel said.