Mega Visions & Projects

Project Summary

The Chicago Bears Southland Stadium & Entertainment District is envisioned as a transformative 800+ acre, mixed-use sports, entertainment, recreation, and economic-development destination centered on the former Oak Forest Hospital site and Midlothian Meadows in Chicago’s Southland. Rather than developing a stand-alone football stadium surrounded primarily by surface parking, the concept creates a year-round regional destination organized around four principles: 

Sports | Community | Nature | Opportunity.

At the center of the development is a new state-of-the-art domed Chicago Bears stadium, capable of hosting NFL games throughout the season while also accommodating major concerts, conventions, college athletics, championship events, international sporting events, and other large-scale programming. The stadium would serve as the economic anchor for a broader campus designed to generate activity and employment throughout the year—not simply on Bears game days.

Stadium & South Campus

The former Oak Forest Hospital property becomes the principal stadium and entertainment district. The current concept includes the domed stadium, major public plazas, an entertainment district with restaurants and retail, an events center, hotel and conference center, Bears team store and fan plaza, team and practice facilities, structured parking, community and youth facilities, recreational fields, landscaped public spaces, and pedestrian-oriented streets.

The development is conceived as a walkable campus. Large plazas and landscaped promenades radiate outward from the stadium, creating gathering places for pregame activities, festivals, concerts, watch parties, community events, farmers markets, and other programming.

The entertainment district is particularly important to the concept. Restaurants, bars, retail, hospitality, entertainment venues, and public gathering spaces would allow visitors to remain on the campus before and after events while creating a destination that can operate independently of the stadium.

Midlothian Meadows & The Meadows Lake

North of 159th Street, Midlothian Meadows becomes the natural and recreational counterpart to the stadium campus. The centerpiece is "The Meadows Lake", surrounded by preserved and enhanced forestry, walking and bicycle trails, recreational areas, sports fields, waterfront gathering spaces, and nature-oriented amenities. Rather than treating the forest preserve as the backside of a stadium development, the concept makes nature one of the project's defining features.

A signature pedestrian and bicycle bridge across 159th Street physically and visually connects the stadium campus with Midlothian Meadows. Visitors can move directly from the stadium and entertainment district into the lakefront and trail system without crossing the major roadway at grade.

This creates an unusual combination for a professional sports campus: a major NFL stadium and entertainment destination directly connected to hundreds of acres of natural and recreational space.

Transportation & Regional Connectivity

Transportation access is one of the central components of the concept. The master plan is framed by Cicero Avenue, 159th Street, Crawford Avenue and Fox Drive, with connections to Interstate 57 providing regional highway access. The concept also incorporates enhanced connections between 159th Street, Crawford Avenue, Fox Drive, and I-57 to distribute stadium traffic rather than relying upon a single point of entry.

A proposed Metra rail alignment and station strategy adds another important layer. The conceptual plan places rail service north of The Meadows Lake, with connections toward the Cicero Avenue/159th Street area and the Crawford Avenue/151st Street area. This could allow spectators, employees and visitors to reach the campus by commuter rail while connecting the development more directly with Chicago and the broader metropolitan region.

Pedestrian bridges, bicycle trails, sidewalks, transit, roadways and parking structures would therefore operate as an integrated transportation network.

Economic Development Vision

The larger purpose of the project is **Southland economic development**. A project of this scale could become a regional employment and investment center, creating construction employment followed by permanent jobs in hospitality, entertainment, retail, food service, sports, facility operations, security, transportation and professional services.

It could also create opportunities extending well beyond the campus. Nearby communities could experience additional demand for hotels, restaurants, housing, retail, transportation services and supporting businesses. The project therefore positions the Bears stadium as an economic anchor rather than simply a sports facility.

Particular emphasis could be placed on Southland residents and businesses through local hiring, apprenticeship and workforce-development programs, minority- and women-owned business participation, local procurement, youth programming, small-business opportunities, and partnerships with municipalities, schools, park districts, community organizations and workforce agencies.

A Different Stadium Model

The distinguishing feature of the proposal is its scale and diversity. The concept effectively combines five destinations into a single regional campus: NFL Stadium + Entertainment District + Hospitality/Convention Campus + Community Sports Campus + Major Nature & Recreation Destination.

That combination gives the Southland proposal a compelling identity of its own. The stadium generates national visibility and major-event traffic; the entertainment and hospitality district creates year-round commercial activity; community facilities provide direct benefits to residents; Metra and highway infrastructure provide regional accessibility; and Midlothian Meadows ensures that nature and recreation remain central to the experience.

The result is a destination where someone could attend a Bears game, stay at the hotel, eat in the entertainment district, attend a conference, walk across the pedestrian bridge, bicycle through Midlothian Meadows, visit The Meadows Lake, or participate in youth sports—all within the same interconnected campus.