Dick’s Sporting Goods pitches $40M-plus “House of Sport” for Orland Park Mall

Dick’s Sporting Goods representatives told the Orland Park Village Board on June 2 they want to buy the vacant Sears parcel at Orland Park Mall and build a large-format “House of Sport” store and experiential field that the company says would bring more mall traffic and higher sales for surrounding retailers.

Vince Corno, senior vice president of real estate for Dick’s Sporting Goods, said the company is proposing a store built to its new prototype, which can range from about 100,000 to 120,000 square feet, plus an outdoor “field” for demonstrations and programming. “These are not inexpensive outlays. The one that you’re looking at there approximated $40,000,000 just in construction costs,” Corno said. He estimated total investment including real estate could approach $50 million.

The pitch: fill a roughly 200,000-square-foot Sears box on two levels that has sat vacant about six years. Corno said CubeWorks currently controls the parcel and Dick’s is negotiating a purchase and sale agreement. He described two store scenarios under study: a single-level roughly 100,000-square-foot layout, or a larger one-level or short‑sheeted two-level design to reach the chain’s 140,000-foot prototype. He said Simon Property Group, the mall owner, supports the proposal and other national retailers have discussed interest in co‑tenancy.

Why it matters: Corno argued an anchor investment would restore foot traffic to a mall wing that “has suffered” while the anchor remained dark. He said Dick’s data from other House of Sport locations show increased mall foot traffic, higher sales per square foot and secondary leasing activity for small shops.

City officials asked operational and financial questions. Joel (last name not specified in the transcript) and the village finance director confirmed the project would require detention upgrades and that the village previously issued bonds to fund Centennial Park West (discussed separately). The board asked the company whether it would move from its existing store at Orland Park Place; Corno said Dick’s would continue operating the current store if the mall deal did not proceed.

On public participation and incentives, Corno said some recent House of Sport openings received community contributions. “In that particular case, really, in very short order, we got a $5,000,000 contribution toward that particular build out,” he said, referring to a store in Arlington, Texas. He added that the company asks local governments whether they want to participate financially before committing to this scale of build.

Board reaction: Trustees and the mayor asked for follow-up information on stormwater detention around the mall, construction timing (Corno said about “417 days after we take delivery”), store programming, and potential community impacts. Trustee Malani described Orland Park’s mall as “our most important economic asset” and said the concept could be a “tremendous” traffic and sales driver. Multiple trustees expressed interest in reviewing the firm’s plans and in working with staff on infrastructure requirements.

Next steps: Village staff said they would work with the company and the mall owner on technical issues including detention and permitting. Corno and his team offered to provide more detailed materials and to continue meetings with village staff and trustees.