Recreational uses will fill vacant big box space in Vernon Hills
Two recreational uses have been approved to fill a vacant big box appliance store in Vernon Hills.
Trustees last week agreed with plan commission recommendations to permit sign variations and other conditions to allow Sky Zone trampoline park and Lil' Kickers indoor soccer to occupy the former Gordmans space in the Rivertree shopping center near Milwaukee Avenue and Route 60.
GW Rivertree LLC of Chicago plans to buy the 52,500-square-foot building that once housed the AMC Rivertree Court theater from Inland Commercial Property Management and remodel the interior space to allow for the separate dual uses.
The plan commission recommended approval of a special use, architectural revisions to the facade and sign variances to allow that. The village board also had to agree to let nonretail uses occupy the vacant store.
"For stand-alone buildings that are at least 20,000 square feet, they are required to maintain at least 80 percent of floor area of the building as retail use," according to Building Commissioner Mike Atkinson.
Sky Zone, which operates in more than 100 locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Australia, would have a small retail component associated with the brand. Lil' Kickers would not.
Mayor Roger Byrne asked Mitch Goltz, owner of the GW retail development firm, whether the company considered locations in industrial parks for the two users.
"We did market this property across the gamut," Goltz said. He said industrial parks are not as conducive for retail as other available buildings in the market.
Goltz said he grew up in the area and went to the Rivertree Theater, which he considered a "destination-type" building. Goltz said the Vernon Hills location would attract hundreds of families from the village and elsewhere.
"I have no problem with this," Trustee Jim Schultz said. "I would love it to be a sales tax revenue generator but we know that it's kind of an out-of-sight, out of mind piece of property."
Because it is so far back from Milwaukee Avenue, the board approved special sign rules when the theater closed.
"It needs to be a destination and you're going to be a destination," Schultz added.
The village had approved an incentive with Inland not to exceed $385,000 to retrofit and expand the vacant theater for Gordmans.
However, nothing was paid because required proof of prevailing wage was not provided and the agreement ended when the store closed, according to the village.
Trustees voted 6-0 to draft the required ordinances for official approval.