The two developers, who have a national reputation for transforming brownfield sites into thriving sports entertainment complexes, said Lorraine was ready for a racing-themed entertainment site at Cromwell Park. clearly claimed.
Nick Sakiewicz, head of NES Sports and Real Estate Development, and Charlie Thornton, co-CEO of CAAIcon, teamed up with Kris McCrone, owner of Elyria-based McCrone Motor Sports, to bring a racing theme to Cromwell Park. We built an entertainment facility that 204 acres between Colorado Avenue and the Black River on the east side of Lorain.
A year ago, McCrone announced its intention to build a truck, but the project appeared to have stalled.
The developer then turned up at the Lorraine City Council on October 17th for an unscheduled hour-long presentation.
The developers called the complex “Rush for Lorain” and suggested starting with three race tracks. His second track for go-kart type racing and family and group outings. Indoor track available 365 days a year.
This project will include a restaurant, retail store, or perhaps a hotel.
The Lorraine Council approved the zoning change on February 21, voting 10 to 0 in favor of building the project, but the Black River Audubon Society wanted to preserve the former landfill along the Black River. The site was opposed by a group of local nature lovers who were in the area.
Lorain City officials requested that the zoning be changed from I-2 Industrial to B-2 Business.
And Sakiewicz is eager to start Phase 1 of the project.
What makes this project seem even more poised than before is that Sakiewicz and Thornton have credible resumes involved in transforming unproductive land.
Thornton, who works as a project manager for mega-stadium construction, recently completed construction on the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
A former professional soccer player, Sakiewicz has been in the business of developing sports complexes for 30 years and has a track record of rapid growth of brownfield sites.
He has worked on projects with Major League Soccer founder and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the late Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt.
Sakiewicz also spoke to the Council about the successful construction of the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
According to Sakiwitz, the building sits on a 300-acre brownfield site that destroyed the city of Harrison when the first shovel smashed through the ground.
Today, there are over 3,000 residential units, 2 million square feet of ground floor retail space, and thousands of jobs.
Sakiewicz and Thornton worked together at Subaru Park outside Philadelphia, home of Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
The stadium was built on a 110-acre brownfield site.
Union also built a team training facility at the site and redeveloped a 120-year-old power plant into what Sakiwicz called “Class A,” a million square feet of office space.
Sakiewicz has also worked on development projects around Staples Arena in downtown Los Angeles and is currently working on a project in Tempe, Arizona to build an arena, theater, amphitheater, housing and retail.
If the project goes ahead, the developer and McCrone will work with the City and the Lorain Port and Finance Authority, but the City and Port will be responsible.
Developers estimate that the Lorain project will cost about $6 million to complete.
Arizona resident Sakiewicz has vowed to move to Lorain full-time once the truck project takes off.
But on the night of October 16th, Mayor Jack Bradley surprised even the developers who showed up in Lorain when he learned that Sakiewicz and Thornton were in the area.
Apparently, Dr. Nick Jarmoszuk Sr., co-owner of Lorain’s Skylift, was the force behind the scenes that brought the developer to Lorain.
Jarmoszuk, interested in racing, spoke with the developers outside the Council Chambers after the presentation.
Thornton pointed out that Jarmoszuk was one of the people who brought him on the project.
The next step is the completion of a feasibility study paid by the developer and should be completed in 6 weeks.
Developing unproductive land in Cromwell Park for an entertainment complex will benefit the cosmopolitan city economically with jobs and a larger tax base.
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