‘The Ultimate Comeback Story’: Gary mayor unveils renderings for new Bears stadium, offers tax certainty

Angelica Sanchez

Fri, January 16, 2026 at 11:32 PM UTC

3 min read

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‘The Ultimate Comeback Story’: Gary mayor unveils renderings for new Bears stadium, offers tax certainty

GARY, Ind. (WGN) – The battle for a new Chicago Bears stadium is intensifying with the city of Gary, Indiana revealing their proposal for the team.

Titled “The Ultimate Comeback Story,” Gary Mayor Eddie Melton released his city’s proposal for a new Bears stadium and said Gary shouldn’t be overlooked.

“They just passed Senate Bill 27, which is to create this authority to help build a facility for the Bears,” Melton said.

Indiana Senate introduces bill to pay for new Chicago Bears stadium

According to Melton, Indiana is offering the Bears organization the tax certainty they are looking for now that state lawmakers have passed legislation to help the state secure the project.

“To have our governor already make the commitment to say we’re going to do whatever it’s going to take to get the Bears here, I don’t think that’s an opportunity a business would want to pass up,” Melton said,

Gary is offering three options that it says are ready for immediate development.

The first is the Gary West End Entertainment District, adjacent to Hard Rock Casino, Indiana’s highest-grossing gaming location. Gary officials claim the area is a proven entertainment hub.

The second location is Buffington Harbor. Officials said it’s a premier waterfront opportunity with established infrastructure and quick access to multiple forms of transportation.

Lastly, Miller Beach is described as a unique footprint adjacent to miles of sandy beaches and the Indiana Dunes National Park, which lures three million annual visitors.

Gov. Pritzker open to helping Bears with infrastructure, but not funding, for new stadium

“This is Chicagoland area. Just because we have this invisible boarder line does not stop us from working together,” Melton said.

The mayor added Gary is transforming with a historic reduction in violent crime and for the first time in 50 years, an increase in population, which is something that’s bringing new business investments and expansions to the city.

“We’re seeing an influx of more Chicago residents looking at Gary, Indiana, and building new homes. We are making it inviting and enticing to grow the population and making it safe and secure,” Melton said.

While his city is another state away, he argued its closer to downtown Chicago and more accessible than Arlington Heights, another city aggressively bidding for the project, but stalled without a bill that would help cap the team’s property tax bill.

Under Cook County’s current tax structure, the Bears would reportedly pay roughly $200 million a year in their new stadium, an astronomic amount compared to any other NFL team.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also weighed in on a possible move in Indiana.

“I believe it’s best for the Bears to stay in the state of the Illinois. I don’t think the fans want the Bears to be based in any other state than Illinois, and frankly, I think at this point we should be talking about crushing the Rams, not a stadium,” Pritzker said.

Melton said he’s personally spoken with lawmakers this week and said he’s confident development in Gary can happen as fast as the team needs.

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