'Something Special': New Lenox Breaks Ground On Huge Sports Complex

NEW LENOX, IL — Shovels hit dirt Monday in New Lenox, as officials marked the start of construction on a $70 million, 29-field sports complex near Silver Cross Hospital.

Named the New Lenox Crossroads Sports Complex for its placement near I-80 and I-355, the multi-sport project is anticipated to attract a million visitors and generate $34 million in revenue once it's fully brought to fruition.

The complex includes 29 youth baseball or softball fields or 12 soccer/multi-use fields with a welcome center, beer garden, and concession stands. The fields will be ready for the first pitch to be thrown in spring 2025, Mayor Tim Baldermann said.

The project is touted as one of Baldermann's "legacy projects," announced in March 2023. Located next to top-ranked Silver Cross Hospital, the facility will sit on 100 acres, with over 10 acres of real estate dedicated for restaurant, retail, and/or hotel use. An additional 68 acres is available for further development in the area just north of Silver Cross, with a proposed 500 home subdivision east of I-355. With more than 2.2 million visitors to the hospital annually, Baldermann saw the land as ripe with opportunity to build something that will leave a lasting impacting, he said.

"We just really knew we could do something special here," Baldermann told Patch. "That’s what this development is."

In its planning stages, New Lenox officials have worked closely with experts including 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 during the groundbreaking ceremony. "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."

Unveiled Monday was the facility's logo, a nod to the Village's history as "Home of Proud Americans." The logo features shades of blue, with red and white accents and an eagle as the focal point.

Baldermann said the fields are surrounded by land open for retail opportunities.

"We have a number of hotels and restaurants that have been contacting us," Baldermann said. The Village is working with a broker on next steps.

While the fields will be operational by spring 2025, start of construction on a 120,000-140,000-square-foot fieldhouse—to accommodate indoor sports, including basketball, volleyball and wrestling—will be dictated by the flow of revenue.

"We want to do all of this without raising taxes at all," Baldermann told Patch. "We’re going to have it self-funded—it’s going to be funded by sales tax and hotel tax.

"Not only will the revenue we see from the 300 acres across the street and here pay for this, it will also put additional money into coffers, which will help us pay for additional projects.

"... It's a big economic driver."

The Village dug into its reserves to purchase the land, paying $8.25 million in cash. With a focus on hosting regional athletic tournaments, the complex is projected to have a $12 million economic impact in Year 1, $20 million in Year 3. The economic impact of the entire project is estimated to bring in over $34 million annually with 600,000 visitors once fully operational, Baldermann said.

Mike Kelly, executive vice president of The Sports Facilities Companies, said he's already shopping the complex to at youth sports trade shows.

"We will put this on the map very quickly," Kelly said. "There will be a buzz."

Baldermann noted his goal to attract additional retail, dining, and hotels to the acreage available to the north of the hospital.

"... 300 additional acres that we know will see economic development because of what we’re doing," Baldermann said. "It’s the kind of economic development we want to see."

Baldermann said that while most of the corridor alongside I-355 brings trucking facilities and warehouses, that's not what they envision for New Lenox.

"You go up and down I-355, and all you see are warehouses, because that's what's easiest to sell," Baldermann said previously. While there is a need for that, he said, "we don't want that for New Lenox."

The location is ideal to attract families who will dine and stay locally, then exiting easily with direct access to the interstate, he said. Hotels and restaurants surrounding the facility will simplify visitors' stays, while not heavily impacting residents, Baldermann said.

"This will give our community almost most importantly an opportunity to play, to eat, to recreate, and then come home," Baldermann said in March 2023. "And because of this location ... most of the people that are going to be traveling here will get off of I-355, spend their time in our community, they'll stay in our community, they'll eat in our community, and then they'll get back on 355 and go home, to wherever that may be.

"There’s no impact on traffic to the local residents, this will almost all be primarily off of I-355. They won’t experience any of the issues, they’ll just get the benefit."

Baldermann last year said the Village was being proactive in embracing the popularity of travel sports for its benefit.

"This is what growing, thriving, communities do," he said. "You can sit and hope that something will happen, or you can make something happen."