A small village near Milwaukee could be the site of a sprawling indoor-outdoor complex with a potential price tag north of $200M.
The proposed Breck Athletic Complex in Big Bend, Wisconsin, would be constructed in eight stages and is expected to cost between $175M and $225M. Developers said it would be designed to evoke a “Colorado mountain town.”
7 soccer fields
6 turf baseball fields
Championship baseball field with plaza
4 lacrosse fields
3 futsal fields
155K-square-foot indoor turf facility
1.5K parking spots
Plans for a banquet hall, restaurant, hotel, gas station, retail spaces
Developers said they have already landed long-term deals with national tournament organizers. A major youth soccer club in the region would be a complex partner and tenant.
The proposal has generated controversy — Big Bend’s population is about 1.5K and the project would require rezoning 42 acres of farmland into a commercial district. Project designers said the complex would be compatible with the community and are aiming to open in 2027.
Big Bend is about 90 minutes from Chicago and Madison.
A public hearing on the project is scheduled for Jan. 29.
Elsewhere …
Amarillo, Texas: Local officials are considering a multi-use development project near John Stiff Memorial Park that could include a hotel that targets youth sports tourism customers. Ground has also broken in the city on the $30M Rockrose Sports Park.
Brown Deer, Wisconsin: The developer behind a proposed $50M complex and events center near Milwaukee has bought the site land for $3.2M. The Sports Facilities Companies is part of the project; no construction timeline has been set yet. Quick Take: Because we know you are wondering — Big Bend and Brown Deer are about 30 miles apart. And one of our editorial goals this year is to better understand at what point economic impact is, well, impacted when large tournament facilities are constructed in close proximity to each other.
Kuna, Idaho: True Gritt Sports — which is bidding to build a massive $120M complex in the Boise area — hosted its first-ever event on New Year’s Eve, a flag football competition. The group recently scored a legislative win when the potential site for the project was rezoned to commercial space.
Pendleton, Oregon: A local non-profit has received an option to buy 40 acres of public land for a proposed youth sports complex. The facility would house baseball, softball and soccer fields; the non-profit has received $3M in state funding already. Pendleton is three hours east of Portland, three hours north of Boise and three hours south of Spokane.
Reno, Nevada: Jacobs Entertainment has filed its first permit to build a youth soccer field. The company operates a casino resort in the city and plans to invest in up to a dozen new fields, as well as a new organization that would focus on attracting sports tourism to the region.
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