Willow Creek plans major expansion into Crystal Lake

South Barrington-based Willow Creek Community Church is planning a major expansion of its presence in the far Northwest suburbs with a multiuse facility that will feature a 2,000-seat auditorium, indoor play area for children, and space for classes and workshops, all on 25 acres near downtown Crystal Lake.

The project would be built at 100 S. Main St., currently home to a 193,000-square-foot former manufacturing building, and also include landscaping improvements, spaces for outdoor recreation and a splash pad, according to concept drawings presented this month to Crystal Lake officials.

"We want to create a community center for the Crystal Lake community, regardless of their affiliation with our church or faith in general," said Don Greetham, the church's operations director and stewardship pastor. "There is going to be a significant amount of green space and a parklike atmosphere, as well as classrooms and workshops."

If approved by the city, the new church will replace the 56,000-square-foot facility at 220 Exchange Drive that's been Willow Creek's home in Crystal Lake for the last 12 years.

Greetham said the church has spent the last few years learning the needs of the area and trying to make sure that the new center will address them.

The church has entered into a $7.5 million contract to purchase the Main Street property and building. According to the church, the first phase of the project will include a new auditorium and renovated atrium, and cost between $6 million and $8 million. It is expected to be complete by the fall of 2017.

The second phase, which will start about three years after the first, will include further improvements to the student and children's ministry spaces, as well as dedicated family/community engagement center and adult ministry spaces.

At the Crystal Lake City Council meeting on Jan. 5, the Crystal Lake church's lead pastor, the Rev. Marcus Bieschke, told the council that about 1,200 people attend their Sunday morning service, which is getting to be too much for their current home.

"Overcrowded parking lots, seating, children's and student ministry spaces, bathrooms and hallways are creating ever-increasing pressures that hinder a fantastic experience for our guests and congregation and hamper our effectiveness in our community," Bieschke said.

Church officials say visibility is another reason for the move. The church's current home is along a dead-end street in a business park setting. The new facility would be on a well-traveled corridor just blocks from downtown Crystal Lake and a Metra station.

Greetham said representatives of the church have met with both the Crystal Lake Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council to go over their plan. A formal submission of the proposal likely will occur in the coming weeks, he said.

More information about plans for the new church can be found at wclmove.org.