New Lenox officials broke ground Monday for the village’s $70 million Crossroads Sports Complex, and the first pitches are expected to be thrown in just 13 months.
The sports complex, near Interstates 355 and 80 next to Silver Cross Hospital, will feature 29 youth baseball or softball fields or 12 soccer or multiuse fields on about 100 acres.
The development will include a welcome center, three full-service concession stands, a beer garden, playground and 15 batting cages, said Matt Grusecki, president of Northern Builders.
Its extensive drainage system will allow the turf fields to be ready for play minutes after a hard rain, Grusecki said. Fenced-in fields will be adjustable to accommodate the youngest athletes to those who can blast 400-foot home runs.
The project’s overall square footage is equivalent to that of the Willis Tower in Chicago, Grusecki said.
Tournaments featuring teams from across the Midwest are expected to begin in spring 2025. The complex is expected to bring about 500,000 visitors annually in the initial years with more than 1 million visitors a year once fully operational.
“It’s a big deal for the region,” New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said. “There’s not a sports complex of this caliber within 100 miles.”
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the new sports complex near Silver Cross Hospital with members of the development team, Mike Kelly, left, of The Sport Facilities Companies, and Matt Grusecki of Northern Builders. (Michelle Mullins/for Daily Southtown)
A $30 million, 140,000-square-foot fieldhouse for indoor sports, including basketball, volleyball and wrestling, will be built as part of the next phase of development, he said.
Baldermann said the village is in discussions to bring hotels, restaurants and other retail businesses to about 12 acres of land near the sports complex. Another 300 acres of property on the north side of Route 6 could also be prime real estate for hotels and other businesses that will complement the sports complex, he said.
The project, including the future fieldhouse, will be funded through tax revenue generated from the development.
The economic impact is expected to be great, Baldermann said.
In its first year, it is expected to generate $12 million and by the third year that should increase to about $20 million, a news release from the village said.
Once the entire project is complete, it is estimated to generate more than $34 million.
Village officials said the sports complex would be the best use of land for the site. While many developers proposed building warehouses, New Lenox officials said they didn’t want warehouses and truck traffic next to Silver Cross Hospital.
Construction work begins April 22, 2024, on the New Lenox Crossroads sports complex for tournaments next year. The sports complex is expected to attract athletes from several states. (Michelle Mullins/for Daily Southtown)
The village talked with hospital representatives while planning the sports complex, and hospital officials were in favor of it, Baldermann said. More than 2.2 million visitors each year come to the Silver Cross Hospital campus, and they can also take advantage of the future hotels and restaurants anticipated.
“That is really what our legacy is about, making our community better,” Baldermann said.
New Lenox has worked with a team of developers, engineers and experts in sports facilities to bring the complex to a reality. Among those are Northern Builders, JLG Architects, Spaceco civil engineering and surveying, Bolton & Menk landscape architects, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd., and The Sports Facilities Companies.
“Planning a development like this begins 12 to 16 months before we ever put a shovel in the ground,” Grusecki said. “In addition to overall functionality, this particular project required planning for the visitor and player experience which had to include convenience, proximity, safety, comfort and amenities.”
Mike Kelly, executive vice president of The Sports Facilities Companies, said the sports complex is already being marketed at the largest youth sports trade show in Portland, Oregon.
“This is a premier project, not only in the area, but in the Midwest,” Kelly said. “We will put this on the map very quickly. There will be a buzz.”
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
