Plans are moving forward for construction of a large inflatable sports dome for a site south of Interstate 80 and west of the Brookside Marketplace shopping center in Tinley Park.
The proposal from GK Development Properties LLC, approved last week by the Tinley Park Village Board, includes a 142,000-square-foot dome and a building that could house stores and restaurants on property where a 9-hole golf course once operated.
Village Manager Pat Carr said construction on the dome could be underway in the next month.
Trustee Michael Mueller said the property had been vacant for a while and that he’s happy to see the project moving forward.
“A lot of folks in the community are very excited about this,” Mueller said.
Trustee William Brady said the property has been sitting for years and it will be nice to have a place to play ball.
Trustee Colleen Sullivan said given the weather in Tinley Park, it will be nice to have an inside space for activities and that the dome will be in a great location.
The 48-acre site is at 7600 191st St., between 76th Avenue, which is unimproved, and Panduit Drive to the west. The land was annexed to Tinley Park in 1992 and had been the site of Graystone Golf Links, which opened in 1992 and closed in 2012.
The initial dome would have an 18,600-square-foot precast support building, and the dome, which would have polystyrene fabric for the roof, would be 75 feet at its highest point, according to plans.
Operators have told the village the dome would be used primarily for training in sports such as baseball and soccer. With two fields, it would have limited space for competitive play.
The proposal includes space for 370 vehicles and the operator has said it expects to handle 200 patrons daily Monday through Friday, and from 250 to 350 Saturdays and Sundays.
It is proposed to operate 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
The Tinley Park-Park District board also proposed an initial concept in 2022 to build a sports dome on the former Tinley Park Mental Health Center site, which the district acquired from the state for $1 in February 2024. The Park District proposed such as a regulation-size soccer field and a stadium with a running track, but those plans have not moved forward.
Maura Possley, a spokesperson for the Park District, said they need to finish the clean-up process and receive approval from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency before starting redevelopment.
She said phase one of the clean up was funded through a $15 million dollar state grant. Phase two, which will cover the remaining abatement and demolition of buildings on the property, began in December and is being funded through an $18 million state grant, she said.
She emphasized the park board will take community feedback on the redevelopment.
The village’s sports dome plans arrive after Topgolf won approval from the village to build an outdoor golf driving range on a site site to west of Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre. That 100-acre property is to the east of where the sports dome is planned, to the east of Harlem Avenue.
Fiber optic work
The village also approved an agreement between the village and Clear Wave Fiber for fiber optic right of way work.
Orland Park recently halted its fiber optic broadband installation after residents reported unsafe work that included a recent power outage.
Carr said the village was more particular and specific in its contract with the fiber optic company after the recent Orland Park experience.
The Illinois 2019 broadband investment program made $400 million in matching grants available to internet service providers for fiber optic construction throughout the state. Providers are under state regulation but receive permits from individual municipalities to complete the work.
awright@chicagotribune.com
