Sterling Bay Proposes Chicago Bears Domed Stadium at Sox Field Site

“The plans are — they’re real pretty pictures,” Bridgeport Alderman Nicole Lee said of a new proposal to relocate the Chicago Bears to the South Side. On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill released renderings on Instagram depicting a glitzy new domed stadium for the Bears at the site of Guaranteed Rate Field, the current home of the Chicago White Sox, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The proposal, presented by developer Sterling Bay, envisions a mixed-use district in Bridgeport combining a domed stadium with housing, hospitality, parks, and public recreation. The plan uses existing transportation infrastructure, including the Dan Ryan Expressway and access to Metra and the CTA. This development would potentially clear a path for the Chicago White Sox to move to the South Loop, aligning with a separate plan released in September by Canal Edge LLC—a company owned by White Sox minority owner Justin Ishbia.

ISFA ownership could eliminate property taxes for Bears

The financial allure of the Bridgeport site centers on ownership. Because the land is owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA), a move here could allow the Bears to avoid paying property taxes. This aligns with recent legislative momentum in the Illinois General Assembly, where sources familiar with negotiations say the conversation has shifted toward a stadium authority model to provide the team with a zero-tax bill.

Sources indicate the plan would require moving Wentworth Gardens, a nearby housing development, a move likely to meet stiff community resistance.

Sterling Bay Proposes Chicago Bears Domed Stadium at Sox Field Site — Photo: wbez.org

The South Loop shuffle

“I’m absolutely interested in conversations about what’s possible on this land — especially because the Sox haven’t necessarily talked to us about what it would take for them to stay,” said Alderman Nicole Lee.

A history of stadium mirages

Chicagoans have seen this movie before. The city has a long history of dazzling architectural renderings that never break ground. The Sun-Times noted that similar “pretty pictures” previously accompanied failed plans for a Bears stadium at the former Michael Reese Hospital site and Jerry Reinsdorf’s championed plan for a White Sox stadium at “the 78.”

The current stakes are heightened by timing. While the Bears’ lease at Soldier Field doesn’t expire until 2033, the White Sox lease at Rate Field expires in 2029. $50 million in outstanding stadium authority bonds used for Sox stadium renovations won't be retired until that 2029 expiration date.

The complexity of the deal is further muddied by the players involved. Sterling Bay, the firm presenting the Bears’ plan, is also working with Ishbia’s Canal Edge folks on the Railyards project. Despite the public renderings, the ISFA stated it has had no conversations with Sterling Bay, and the Bears have declined to comment on the proposal.

For the residents of Bridgeport, the prospect of a domed stadium is less about football and more about displacement and urban planning.

“The timing is interesting, and the players are interesting,” Lee said.

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