The city of Hobart hopes to capitalize on the convention center with new entertainment if the Lake County Commission ultimately chooses a site northeast of the U.S. 30 and Interstate 65 interchange.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestan said the city is in talks with the developer of Patriot Park, formerly known as Silverstone, about including an entertainment venue in the mixed-use development, but not including a convention center. He said the final cost could be between $250 million and $300 million. He said. Hobart wants entertainment at its location north of Costco and aims to promote more entertainment options along the U.S. 30 corridor.
“We call Route 30 and Interstate 65 the capital of Lake County, and we feel strongly about investing,” he said. “The Silverstone site is the No. 1 site for a convention center and we believe that to be true. As we look at development across the county, we are focusing on these large distribution centers. The one thing I feel is being left behind is the people. We have all these big distribution centers, but what are people going to do for entertainment? So we're really focusing on entertainment pieces for that property that will offer something for all of our residents.”
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Hobart has long relied on retail, but may need to focus more on entertainment in the future.
“We have to continue to be an economic driver that draws people to our community,” Huddlestan said. “We feel the U.S. 30 corridor provides that opportunity. We recognize that retail is declining, and that puts a strain on property tax values there. We really want our community to be an entertainment hub, a hub for people from all over the region.”
Huddlestan said options could include a golf facility similar to Topgolf or a ballpark.
“It's obviously in its early stages, but as a community we want to be a hotbed of development with a distribution center, but also a place where people can go for recreation,” he said. “You need adult entertainment that young professionals can go to. You need something that draws people to the area. You need something that draws people to restaurants, retail, hotels. I will bring it.”
Huddlestan said more entertainment options could be incorporated into retail stores. For example, Dick's Sporting Goods has installed outdoor soccer fields in some of its parking lots, and adding this could bring more energy and interest, he said.
“The Route 30 corridor is the capital of Lake County. There are so many cars. It's the height of this type of growth,” he said. “We want to steer the ship to sail in that direction.”
For example, Southlake Mall backfilled part of the former Dick's Sporting Goods, which relocated across the street along with Kid's Empire, a family entertainment center. Albany's Candy, Deep River Water Park, and Urban Air are popular entertainment options.
“Urban Air is always crowded on weekends. It's hard to find a parking space,” he says. “Entertainment brings people together, so having a convention center makes sense. People who go there are looking for that fun as well as the dining and shopping experience.At the end of the day, we “We need to ensure that Route 30 survives.” It's doable and we're headed in the right direction. ”
With the rise of e-commerce, retailers like the Magnificent Mile are diversifying with entertainment additions such as blockbuster movies Harry Potter, The Office, and The Prince Experience. Oak Brook Center has added Sony's Wonderverse Entertainment Center, which features the studio's various intellectual properties such as Ghostbusters, Bad Boys, and Zombieland, as well as a traveling exhibit about Princess Diana and Michelangelo. The Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie is a former department store that has been renovated into an exhibition space that now houses exhibition tours of Downton, His Abbey and Titanic.
“We recognize that entertainment is essential to our future,” he said. “We want to be able to have entertainment and be able to have a live, work, play environment.”
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