Cedar Rapids City Council approves plans for Dick’s House of Sport to open in former Sears store

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new Dick’s House of Sport at the former Sears store at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids is on the road to becoming reality after it received initial approval from the city council this week.

No one spoke at a public hearing during Tuesday’s Cedar Rapids City Council meeting. The council voted to approve a proposed urban renewal plan for the project at 4600 First Ave. NE, and also voted to approve the first reading of a tax increment financing agreement for the area.

In addition to a full line of sports equipment, the new Dick’s House of Sport will include an outdoor year-round, multiuse field, wall climbing, golf simulator, and other amenities. The building is 117,000 square feet. It will be only the tenth Dick’s House of Sport in the country.

Dick's currently operates a large sporting goods store across the street from Lindale Mall, at 4601 First Ave SE. Bill Micheel, the city’s development services manager, said the existing store will close and be incorporated into the new facility when it is complete.

The new store will provide 110 full time jobs, and involve a minimum investment of $25 million.

The development agreement is between the city and Reserve Development of Dallas, doing business as Shops at Cedar Rapids, LLC. The company bought the site for $3.4 million and recruited the new Dick's House of Sport operation.

Construction may start 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 to the company.

The House of Sports concept was started in 2021 and there are now nine such stores nationwide. Eight of those are located in repurposed buildings. A Dick’s House of Sport opened in Davenport in 2023. The company plans to have 75 to 100 House of Sport stores open by 2027, according to online information.