{"id":589702,"date":"2026-02-14T15:36:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T15:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589702\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T15:36:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T15:36:13","slug":"why-baiting-the-chicago-bears-could-pay-off-for-portage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/589702\/","title":{"rendered":"Why baiting the Chicago Bears could pay off for Portage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even if the Chicago Bears hibernate at another location, Portage\u2019s pitch for a stadium<\/a> could end up benefiting the city.<\/p>\n

Lou Weisbach, the man behind the financing for the proposed stadium, is connected with a capital C.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s CEO and cofounder of Stadium Capital Financing Group. He founded and was CEO of HA-LO Advertising Specialties. He\u2019s heavily invested in fighting cancer through the American Center for Cures. Over this year\u2019s Super Bowl weekend, Weisbach was given the Steinberg Denicola Health Humanitarian Award for health innovation as director of that charity. Weisbach has worked in politics at the national level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kind of know all the players,\u201d he said. He counts Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren as a friend.<\/p>\n

Weisbach not only knows people and money, he also knows how to sell a product \u2013 and he\u2019s sold on Portage.<\/p>\n

At $5 billion for the proposed Portage stadium plus a $2 billion sinking fund, Weisbach knows who can sink that much money into the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the money comes from a single source. It\u2019s not a lot of money for that source,\u201d he said. And that source isn\u2019t the taxpayer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no public funding,\u201d he said Thursday. \u201cThinking out of the box is what the future is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Weisbach\u2019s method is so different from the way stadiums have been financed in the past that there are patents pending on the method.<\/p>\n

So why Portage? \u201cIt just kind of happened because of a chance meeting I had with Andy\u201d Maletta, executive director of Portage Economic Development Corp., who set up a meeting with Mayor Austin Bonta and others. They asked him to help in any way he could.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been joyous and fascinating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot about Portage for a lot of reasons,\u201d Weisbach said. \u201cI\u2019m impressed with a lot about Portage, including its location and being on the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s leadership is \u201cdelightful, down-to-earth, easy to talk to and honorable,\u201d he said, unlike their counterparts in some places he\u2019s known.<\/p>\n

Weisbach is working to build stadiums in other locations globally, but not for any of the other sites wooing the Bears. That\u2019s a long list of suitors, too. Hammond<\/a> and Gary<\/a> want the Bears to come to Northwest Indiana. Arlington Heights<\/a> wants the Bears; the team even bought land there. Even Iowa decided to jump on the Bears stadium bandwagon in a last-minute what-the-heck move.<\/p>\n

\n

Long-beleaguered Gary is serious about the Bears. Are the Bears serious about Gary?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Bears have a decision to make<\/a>, and the plethora of options isn\u2019t making that decision easier. The team wants a 70,000-seat stadium, which means Soldier Field will have to soldier on and not Bear down. A domed stadium, like the one Weisbach hopes to bring to Portage, would make attending games in cold weather a lot more comfortable for the fans as well as the players.<\/p>\n

The Bears would gain rent-free use of the stadium, Bonta stressed.<\/p>\n

So what are the odds of Portage attracting the Bears?<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s leadership began thinking about the Bears early on, then figured there was a 1% chance of attracting the team when the Bears purchased land in Arlington Heights. But when negotiations there became more complex, Portage\u2019s odds improved.<\/p>\n

Weisbach is realistic about Portage\u2019s chances and won\u2019t give odds. \u201cIt\u2019s only one decision-maker here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

What sets Portage apart from the other contenders is that it\u2019s the only one that doesn\u2019t involve taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cLogically, if this is viewed on a reasonable level, we\u2019ve got the best proposal,\u201d Weisbach said. Taxpayers are fed up with funding teams owned by billionaires, he noted.<\/p>\n

Maletta, of course, agrees. He\u2019s even magnanimous enough to say the Bears already have a nice headquarters and a training facility in Lake Forest. Portage officials would be happy \u2013 overjoyed, truly \u2013 just to get the Bears to play games in Portage.<\/p>\n

Weisbach, the numbers guy, knows that\u2019s only about 10 games a year, depending on playoffs. He and Portage officials vow it would be a Super Bowl-worthy stadium.<\/p>\n

\"WeCreateWeCreate Media CEO Wade Breitzke speaks as renderings are displayed behind him during a news conference in Portage concerning the proposed Chicago Bears stadium and development in the city on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just about the Bears games. The arena would be busy at other times, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers work,\u201d he said, even without the Bears.<\/p>\n

In the Chicago area, there are about 100 concerts a year, he said. There\u2019s revenue, food and merchandising to consider. \u201cBasically, that\u2019s the security, the revenue for a lot of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers in this case work beautifully, and it\u2019s very exciting,\u201d Weisbach said.<\/p>\n

People putting up the money for major entertainment events benefit from escalation. Look at Taylor Swift 10 years ago vs. now, he said. The Portage stadium would have one of the most advanced sound systems, and Bears fans wouldn\u2019t have the same parking issues as at Soldier Field.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans will feel much safer in Portage than they do in Chicago,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Plans for the stadium call for building a high-rise of condos for not only players and opponents to stay in the night before a game, but also top entertainers like Taylor Swift, Rihanna and others. After all, what are pro athletes if not entertainers? \u201cWe\u2019re doing some really upscale things in that area,\u201d Weisbach said.<\/p>\n

The condo complex would be connected to the stadium by tunnel.<\/p>\n

If the stadium isn\u2019t built for the Bears, there are other professional teams that could come to Portage. A domed entertainment venue has advantages that include major concerts not being rained out. \u201cThe model works just as well to do that,\u201d Weisbach said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a great story to tell, and there\u2019s no holes in the story,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bonta holds out hope that Halas Harbor, as his team calls the proposed stadium development site, will come to fruition.<\/p>\n

\"PortagePortage Mayor Austin Bonta speaks during a news conference concerning the proposed Chicago Bears stadium and development in the city on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (Kyle Telechan\/for the Post-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a remarkably short period of time, Indiana has moved from conversation to credible competition,\u201d he said in a statement Friday. \u201cThat progress represents the governor\u2019s leadership and the coordinated effort of state, regional and local partners who recognize the magnitude of this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy continuing to work together and advancing the Halas Harbor proposal through a fiscally sound, privately financed approach, Indiana has the opportunity to deliver a historic outcome that strengthens our economy, our region and our future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Portage Redevelopment Director Dan Botich sees the city\u2019s proposal and its Wednesday news conference as bringing positive attention to the city and its economic development potential.<\/p>\n

\n

Gov. JB Pritzker talked Bears with NFL commissioner and says progress is being made to keep team in Illinois<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The news conference brought Chicago TV stations\u2019 cameras to the city, which cements Portage\u2019s claim to being close to downtown Chicago \u2013 less than an hour by rail or highway, 85 minutes by boat.<\/p>\n

People who visited that Marina Shores news conference were a stone\u2019s throw from Indiana Dunes National Park. Portage has two beaches in the national park \u2013 West Beach and Portage Lakefront Park. The latter is the national park\u2019s most-visited beach.<\/p>\n

Botich dreams big. The stadium could host NCAA tournaments and others, he said.<\/p>\n

The site is big, with plenty of room for not only a stadium but also a famous Chicago-based chocolate manufacturer and others.<\/p>\n

Maletta said the pitch Wednesday shows the city\u2019s thoughtfulness, professionalism and opportunities. \u201cWe know it\u2019s a special place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To developers, his pitch is a familiar refrain: \u201cWe\u2019re open for business.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s like this. Nobody is really debating Portage has one of the best locations for a higher-density, very transit-oriented site, taking advantage of its proximity to the highways, Lake Michigan, again the water with the marinas,\u201d Bonta said. \u201cEverybody realizes that something amazing could happen here on the north side of Portage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that what\u2019s being discussed, debated, talked about is what kind of thing do we want to have here, that\u2019s a big change in the city of Portage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When he ran for mayor, he talked about how the residents can have nice things. They can lure amenities.<\/p>\n

The fact that the debate is not about whether it can happen but will happen really shows a change in Portage, he said, including confidence in the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe vision for this property remains what it\u2019s always been, essentially a smaller city based on the train, based on the water, a place where we have the opportunity to do a more walkable combination of commercial and residential that really takes advantage of the water and the train,\u201d he said. The Marquette Greenway, a trail that will connect Chicago to New Buffalo when completed, will run through the site.<\/p>\n

It has taken the city years to acquire the land needed for large developments to occur. Attracting the Bears would just make it all happen faster and enhance that, Bonta said. \u201cThat\u2019s the direction of this land, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city has been calling it the Hillcrest development site but began using Halas Harbor in hopes of attracting the Bears.<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s marina is a key part of the development site. \u201cHow do we create a stronger boating culture between the private marina, the public marina and Burns Waterway,\u201d he said, is a challenge facing the city. \u201cOr Bears Waterway. We may need to rename it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crossing that waterway means building a bridge. \u201cWe never wanted to build a bridge to nowhere,\u201d he said. But increasing connectivity in the city \u2013 for the Marquette Greenway as well as vehicular traffic \u2013 requires tying the site near the South Shore Line station to the rest of the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cConnectivity was that piece. Do we either get the bridge built with some development, even if not the other site, built on the other end, and we gradually build the rest of the Hillcrest site, or do we get another development to star on the north end and it continues south?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Bears choose our site, then we have the ability to solve the connectivity issue and the development issue simultaneously, so that\u2019s the opportunity for us,\u201d Bonta said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has always been envisioned as a high-density, walkable site taking advantage of the highway, the water and the train. The Bears enhance that, and maybe make it happen faster, but if the Bears do not come, the mission is still to have that particular kind of development here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had calls about other people interested in the site now that they know it is here,\u201d Bonta said.<\/p>\n

Getting the Bears to play in Portage would be the big touchdown, but even a field goal is getting points on the city\u2019s economic development scoreboard.<\/p>\n

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even if the Chicago Bears hibernate at another location, Portage\u2019s pitch for a stadium could end up benefiting…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":589703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[11438,110831,960,531,208502,30214,5386,1818,56956,21479],"class_list":["post-589702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-arlington-heights","tag-bears-stadium","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-bears","tag-chicago-bears-stadium","tag-gary","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-portage","tag-soldier-field"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116069727281765576","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=589702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/589702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/589703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=589702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=589702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=589702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}