
A new “year-round all-purpose competition sports field” could be coming to the former Sears store at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids, with a redevelopment price tag estimated at $25 million.
The Cedar Rapids City Council is slated to discuss a resolution of support for above-standard city financial incentives for the project at the former Sears building at 4600 First Ave. NE, on the east end of Lindale Mall.
The project incentives would be provided under the Brownfield/Grayfield Economic Development program, according to the agenda packet for the council’s regular meeting Tuesday.
The redevelopment plan is being proposed by Shops at Cedar Rapids, LLC, which purchased the vacant Sears building in January 2024 for $3.4 million, according to Cedar Rapids assessor’s records.
The contact information for the developer lists Jeff Strong and Sean Porter of 4300 Sigma Rd. Ste. 100, in Dallas. Those contact details correspond to a company named Reserve Development, which “seeks to develop new Class A developments in prime locations or to acquire well-located assets that are in need of a re-development strategy to maximize value.”
That company’s website includes descriptions of 14 redevelopment projects across the country, many apparently located in buildings previously housing other retailers.
Attempts to contact Reserve Development for further information were unsuccessful, and Cedar Rapids officials said they had no further information on the development beyond the council documents.
The Sears store in Cedar Rapids, the last remaining Sears location in the Corridor, closed in July 2018. Since it has been vacant for several years, the building “required significant remediation of contaminants in order to allow for redevelopment,” according to council documents.
“The Developer has partnered with a National Retailer to repurpose the Sears Building, to include constructing a year-round all-purpose competition sports field,” the documents indicate.
Similar projects have been pursued elsewhere. According to the Des Moines Register, Genesis Health Clubs purchased the former Sears store at the Southridge Mall in Des Moines in 2021 and opened the doors to a new $13.5 million facility there in September 2024. And MLive reports a facility known as Zap Zone XL is planned for the former Sears store in Portage, Michigan, featuring “‘state-of-the-art’ attractions including bowling, go-karts, an adventure park, a skating rink, laser tag, mini golf and an arcade across two floors.”
The project at the former Sears store at Lindale would comprise a $25 million capital investment and create 110 full-time positions, according to city council documents. Construction would begin in August 2025 and be completed by March 2026.
If approved, the city incentive would provide a 10-year, 100% rebate of increased taxes generated by the project. Based on the investment and estimated post-development value, the project is expected to generate $3.4 million in total taxes over a 10-year period, of which $2.1 million would be rebated back to the developer.
In order to provide the incentive, an Urban Renewal Area (TIF district) would be established to allow the city to collect increment taxes and rebate them under the terms of a formal development agreement, so the proposed resolution would also direct city staff to initiate the process of establishing a TIF district for the project.