A new kind of Dick’s Sporting Goods will soon come to Joliet as a part of a new development agreement approved Tuesday by city council.
Dick’s House of Sport will anchor a major project that aims to transform and accelerate development at the Rock Run Collection near I-55 and I-80 and “position Joliet at a premier regional destination for shopping, dining and entertainment,” the City of Joliet said in a statement.
Joliet City Council approved a $37 million incentive deal for the creation of the 310-acre retail district at 1250 Rock Run Crossings Dr. that is “envisioned as a hybrid lifestyle center combining retail, dining, residential, and entertainment uses,” according to a statement from the City of Joliet.
“You are on the cusp of approving a path forward for a world-class mixed-use development that includes one of the largest retail developments ground-up in the country,” Vincent Corno, senior vice president of real estate for Dick’s Sporting Goods said at the council meeting Tuesday. “This is not your mother’s or father’s Dick’s Sporting Goods.”
The new 120,000-square-foot multi-level Dick’s House of Sport store will go beyond the company’s traditional sporting goods store model by adding interactive athletic experiences, training spaces and sports-related programming, the city said, adding that the store will also hopefully help attract big name retail brands to the area.
The store will feature a climbing wall, a turf field and more, Corno said at the meeting.
While there are currently 34 Dick’s House of Sport locations across the country, Joliet will be one of the few ground-up Dick’s House of Sport locations in the country, Corno said.
“Rock Run Collection represents a transformational investment in Joliet’s future, and Dick’s House of Sport is a game-changing anchor that helps the development reach its full potential’,” said Mayor Terry D’Arcy in a statement. “This isn’t just about tenant, it’s about creating a destination that attracts high-quality retailers, generates jobs and drives long-term economic growth. This agreement allows us to build on real momentum already happening on the ground while ensuring growth continues in a disciplined and responsible way. Just as importantly, it protects taxpayers through a structure that ties public support directly to measurable success.”
Roughly 8,000 construction jobs and 5,000 permanent jobs across multiple sectors are expected to be generated by the development, the city said.
The only currently open Dick’s House of Sport location in Illinois is in Champaign, located at 2000 N. Neil St. Ste 2000a.
