116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Dick’s House of Sport planned for former Sears store at Cedar Rapids’ Lindale Mall
Cedar Rapids City Council to consider approval of development incentives Tuesday
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CEDAR RAPIDS — The intended tenant of the former Sears store at Lindale Mall will be Dick’s House of Sport, and will include an outdoor year-round, multiuse field, according to documents set for discussion at Tuesday’s Cedar Rapids City Council meeting.
The council will hold public hearings at Tuesday’s meeting for making the former Sears store an urban renewal site. The hearings also will include a proposed redevelopment agreement between the city and Reserve Development of Dallas, doing business as Shops at Cedar Rapids, LLC.
The company bought the site — which was vacated by Sears in 2018 — for $3.4 million and has recruited the new Dick's House of Sport operation.
Dick's Sporting Goods has operated a store for several years across the street from Lindale, at 4601 First Ave SE. It's unclear whether both stores would coexist.
After Tuesday's public hearings, the council decide whether to approve the urban renewal/TIF site designation and the redevelopment agreement.
The development agreement to be considered requires the developer to:
- Make a $25 million capital investment;
- Redevelop the former Sears building, which is 117,000 square feet for the tenant, Dick’s House of Sport;
- Create an outdoor year-round, multiuse field;
- Create at least 110 full-time jobs;
- Start construction in August, with completion in March 2026.
The city incentive provides a 10-year, 100 percent rebate of increased taxes generated by the project. Based on the investment and estimated post-development value, the project is expected to generate $4.9 million in total taxes over a 10-year period, of which $3.3 million would be rebated back to the company.
What is Dick’s House of Sport?
According to the company website, Dick’s House of Sport stores are at least 100,000 square feet, giving customers an assortment of products, and in-store experiences such as a climbing wall, golf bays with simulators, and multisport cages that can be used for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer.
This concept was started in 2021 and there are now nine such stores nationwide. Eight of those are located in repurposed buildings, as will the Cedar Rapids store. Davenport opened a Dick's House of Sport in 2023. Dick's plans to have 75 to 100 House of Sport open by 2027, according to online information.
Dick's was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pa. It employs 55,500 people nationwide, according to the company's website.
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