Chicago Fire Stadium Nears $425M TIF Boost

Related Midwest may get a leg up to its development of the Chicago Fire's new stadium at The 78 after a city committee approved $425M in tax increment financing to help with infrastructure costs at the site.

An aerial view of the development site at The 78.
The 78 Development Site.

The City Council Finance Committee approved two TIF agreements Monday that would help finance infrastructure in the area and lead to the completion of a city-owned parking garage. The $750M stadium is privately financed by billionaire owner Joe Mansueto.

The plan would rework the site's TIF subsidy to transfer money from a nearby TIF district. Under Related's original deal, created in 2019, the developer would pay for infrastructure improvements and be reimbursed with TIF money the megadevelopment generated itself.

The revised proposal would draw $287M over an eight-year period from the nearby Canal/Congress TIF District to the Roosevelt/Clark TIF District surrounding The 78, Crain's Chicago Business reported. The move would reduce the risk for Related as the project would not have to generate new tax revenue on its own.

The full City Council's vote on the matter is set for Wednesday.

Department of Planning and Development Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Cohen told the outlet the city pitched a TIF transfer as a result of The 78's shift from the office and mixed-use campus proposed in 2019. The city expects those projects would have created more property tax revenue than the stadium district.

The Canal/Congress District creates over $65M of new TIF revenue each year, while the city expects the Roosevelt/Clark District to create an average of $17M each year over the next 15 years.

But 34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway criticized the proposal, telling Crain's the money should stay available for projects in his ward. He said the pitch would exhaust the city's resources for the maintenance of Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center.

The stadium broke ground in March and is slated to open in the second quarter of 2028. The 22,000-seat soccer field will be a long-awaited anchor tenant for The 78, which Related struggled to kick-start for years following the onset of the pandemic.

UPDATE, JULY 13, 5:15 P.M. CTThis story has been updated to reflect the city committee passing the project's TIF subsidies.  

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Chicago Newsletters
Related Stories

With Illinois' Senior Population Set To Grow By 40%, Developers Are Facing A Financing Puzzle

Fort Worth Approves Incentive Deal For Drone Developer Mach Industries

Tax Break Fight Threatens Development In Housing-Starved Long Island

REPORT: JLL In Talks To Relocate Global Headquarters

Illinois' Record Storm Season May Be Changing The Risk Equation For CRE

How Officials Are Picking Which Parts Of Philly Will Benefit From Opportunity Zones 2.0

Venture One Real Estate Lands 132K SF Portfolio: The Chicago Deal Sheet

Related Midwest Is Betting Big On Chicago While Others Hold Back

Bally's Pauses Construction On Portion Of Casino Project Amid City Squabble

Portillo's Lays Off Staff At Oak Brook HQ As It Slows Expansion

Chicago's Apartment Pipeline Is Slowing, But This Lender Bets On Rehab Instead

NBC Tower Owner Mulls Conversion: The Chicago Deal Sheet