Developer plans ice arena in unused Mount Prospect warehouse

A prominent Mount Prospect construction company plans to open a new ice arena at the Kensington Business Center in Mount Prospect, promising to attract interest from hockey enthusiasts not only within but also outside the village.

The Mount Prospect village board last week granted the petitioner, Nicholas and Associates, a conditional use for an indoor ice arena with two skating rinks at 1501 Feehanville Drive. Located on the south side of road, the property consists of a 71,000-square-foot office/warehouse building that has been vacant for about three years.

The board also approved the petitioner's application for a Cook County Class 7c tax incentive, which applies to commercial or retail operations and is similar to the 6b classification, which relates to industrial operations. The property tax assessment level would drop from 25 percent to 10 percent for three years, before it gradually works back up to the full 25 percent.

Community Development Director William Cooney said the petitioner is looking to work with local parks and schools, as well as private clubs to get clients. The building will include locker rooms for visiting players, a pro shop and a restaurant, he said.

The company has projects ranging from residential to schools to park facilities, but "this project is probably one that we are most excited about," Nick Papanicholas Jr. of Nicholas and Associates said at the board meeting. The company is planning so spend more than $10 million, he said.

"This will be the best ice arena in the state of Illinois. I have toured many of them. I have seen all the do's and don'ts," he said. "And we are going one step above with everything. We probably have 14 different organizations, including the Mount Prospect Park District, who will use the facility."

Trustee Paul Hoefert called the project "a great use of a building that has been dormant for in excess of three years."

While parking at sports facilities often seems tight, parking will exceed the required 265 spaces by more than 100, Trustee John Matuszak noted.