The Chicago Bears' board of directors voted Thursday to go forward with plans for a stadium development in Hammond, Indiana.
The decision marked the first time the Bears' board voted on any stadium site.
"We believe a world-class stadium project in Hammond will transform the region, connecting Northwest Indiana and the South Side of Chicago through the Loop and across the neighborhoods and suburbs stretching north of the city," Bears chairman George H. McCaskey and CEO Kevin Warren said in a statement.
The exact site for a new stadium in Hammond is still being determined. Thursday's vote comes days after the end of Illinois' spring legislative session.
The announcement doesn't mean the team is set to leave Chicago, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
Indiana is "in the lead" to get the Bears by building a domed stadium, but "Illinois can still get back in the race," a source told Cronin.
The Bears have called Chicago home since 1921. The team has played at Soldier Field since 1971.
