Hammond’s mayor is confident a new Chicago Bears stadium would benefit Northwest Indiana. Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. held a press conference Thursday afternoon, after an Indiana House committee unanimously approved a bill to create a stadium finance authority.
McDermott said the new stadium would bring thousands of jobs. “The Bears themselves is thousands of jobs, not to mention the construction jobs that go into the stadium, the parking facilities around the stadium and the ancillary development that’s going to come, and it’s going to come,” McDermott said.
McDermott was also hopeful that a stadium would bring new entertainment and hotel options to Hammond. He added that the city gave the Bears a “blank slate” in developing the area.
"‘Bearsville’ – that’s the vision," the mayor said. "I want it to be like a section of our city."
McDermott also thinks the Gary/Chicago Airport would benefit from increased traffic.
Still, there may be inconveniences. McDermott acknowledged that there would be a need for property acquisitions and hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of infrastructure upgrades. It would also raise taxes on restaurant and hotel customers, but McDermott was confident that local residents wouldn’t bear much of the burden.
McDermott felt Hammond’s location is proving to be attractive, due to its proximity to the team’s current home at Soldier Field. “I think if you’re in Downtown Chicago or on the South Side of Chicago, they should be applauding this move because we’re going to be much closer to you, the fan, than if the Bears moved to Arlington Heights.”
He also noted the widespread support the effort has gotten across party lines and across the state of Indiana. Other local mayors issued statements Thursday congratulating Hammond’s selection as Indiana’s preferred location.
