Back in August we wrote about a developer who bought a $17M office park in the Chicago suburbs and pledged to spend at least $25M converting some of it into a youth sports complex.
The developer is now thinking bigger, plunking down $20M for a recently-closed college campus (also in Bannockburn) with plans to now spend at least $40M on the project.
116 total acres
60 acres of existing sports facilities and fields, indoor and outdoor
Existing athletics center will begin hosting youth sports immediately
Long-term plan to build 400K-square-foot indoor complex
Indoor facility would have 8 basketball courts, full-sized soccer field
Entertainment area for families also planned
Adjacent to planned new HQ for NWSL’s Chicago Stars
Project still needs city approval
The developer has pledged to cover some costs personally; he has also started a charitable organization and may seek private financing.
Elsewhere …
Cincinnati: City Council has signed off on a process to identify costs and locations to build 2-3 fields specifically for youth football. Most leagues currently rent school leagues; one council member called on the NFL’s Bengals to assist the effort.
Lebanon, Tennessee: A contractor published an op-ed in The Tennessean alleging the city has stiffed its company and local subcontractors out of payments due for work on a now-open complex in town.
Minnetonka, Minnesota: Hoop Habits — a basketball training platform — is opening a 41K-square-foot facility after outgrowing its 6.5K-square-foot facility in nearby Edina. The new venue will have four full courts and can host tournaments.
Overland Park, Kansas: The first hotel at The Sports Facilities Companies’ AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk — a $17M, 99-room Holiday Inn Express — is expected to open in April or May before World Cup games in Kansas City. Plans call for two more hotels with a combined 250 additional rooms once the complex’s retail space is completed. The $40M Phase 2 for the youth sports facilities will expand the total footprint to 400K-square-feet.
Slidell, Louisiana: The city plans to invest up to $8M into a recently-acquired 24-acre baseball and softball complex. A private investment group will partner with the town; the site was seriously damaged by a 2024 tornado. Officials hope the renovated complex can attract sports tourism; Slidell is about 30 minutes north of New Orleans, 90 minutes east of Baton Rouge and 90 minutes west of Mobile, Alabama.
Yuba City, California: Officials will apply for a state grant of up to $8.5M to potentially build a regional sports complex. The proposal calls for the city and Sutter County to buy a defunct K-Mart and merge it with a nearby park, creating a 24-acre facility with 6-8 baseball diamonds, several soccer fields and more.
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Good game.