Trustees Approve Sports Center On Old Willow Road

A 96,000-square-foot sports center proposed for Old Willow Road could be operating before the end of the year.

After resolving some issues regarding a liquor license and traffic flow, trustees approved a plan from developer Richland Creek Capital to build a multi-sports center offering league play for kids and adults in lacrosse, soccer, football and paddleball, among other sports.

Developer Kent Knebelkamp said his firm hopes to have the building complete and ready for occupancy by September 2012.

Earlier: 

A proposal to serve liquor at the facility initially raised some concerns among trustees, who worried that the combination of alcohol and rowdy sports fans could cause problems. But after meeting Knebelkamp and his partner, Brian Loftin, Village President and liquor commissioner Sandy Frum said she felt reassured that the appropriate controls would be put in place.

The also pulled records of calls relating to a second facility the developers have in Melrose Park. That sports center had 26 incidences requiring ambulance calls in three years, all of which were related to injuries. 

“They have a history of running this type of establishment,” noted trustee Kathryn Ciesla. 

Concerns about the necessity of a left-turn lane were also addressed to trustees’ satisfaction. Members of the plan commission had said they felt that traffic to the sports center could cause jams where Shermer Road meets Old Willow, and considered requiring the developers to put in a left-turn before the center opened.   

But trustees decided to wait and see whether a left-turn lane is necessary once the project becomes operational. The developers will be required to deposit some of the cost for a left-turn lane with the village upfront, and the village manager will later assess whether installation is needed. If he deems it unnecessary, the deposit will be returned to the developers.

While most trustees were favorable to the project, trustee A.C. Buehler has said he believes a sports center isn’t the right use for the area, which is currently zoned for single-family residences. The roughly half-mile long stretch of Old Willow Road, which dead-ends just before Patriot Boulevard, has a handful of houses at the end, two of which had “for rent” or “for sale” signs on Tuesday.

The rest of the street, and the nearby area on Shermer Road, is devoted to corporate or industrial uses, including , and a FedEx shipping center. 

“I don’t see this as anything compatible with what we have going in,” Buehler said when trustees discussed the proposal. “It’s a wonderful plan in the wrong place.”

On Tuesday, Buehler voted against part of the proposal that involved the zoning issue, but supported the project as a whole. 

Don Jakubek, who owns one of three homes on Old Willow Road, came to the meeting to tell trustees that he, too, felt like the sports center was a good plan in the wrong place. He currently lives on Maple Avenue but said he is selling that home and plans to move back to the residence he owns, located just east of the sports center on Old Willow Road. 

To show trustees just how close the 43-foot-tall sports center would be to his property, Jakubek, a contractor, brought a 13-foot long measuring stick to the board meeting. Plans for the sports center call for a 15-foot setback from the property line.

“We’re not going to have any sunlight,” he said. “We’re never going to see the sunset again from that side of the home.” 

Jakubek said he was also concerned about parking in the area, and worried that cars might spill over into the small residential area of the street. 

“I think it’s important that you understand what you just did,” he told the board of trustees. “We’re going to be living there, and there’s other people living there, too.” 

Editor's Note: This article has been updated with specific information about the sports centers projected opening and corrected to reflect accurate statistics about its square-footage and height.

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