SUSSEX, Wis. — An indoor sports facility could be coming to Sussex, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
The former Shopko store could be the new home to basketball and pickleball courts, batting cages, and a NX level Performance Training center if the Sussex Plan Commission approves a proposal from a local group.
The group proposing the project includes Matthew Mehring, the president of Anderson Ashton Design/Build. He told the Milwaukee Business Journal that after living in the Sussex area and spending years driving past the empty Shopko building, he came up with a plan to make it a destination.
“We’ve designed other (sports) facilities; we’re trying to repurpose a building that had a different use,” he said. “What we have planned works out well for that building, and for that use.”
According to the BizJournal, the plan for the 80,000-square-foot former store combines indoor sports where teams can practice and compete with entertainment options for adults who are watching their kids practice.
Mehring is looking into the indoor digital golf range franchise to fill one of the corners of the building, and also wants to find someone to operate a restaurant. He hopes to have the tables overlooking the sports area.
The Milwaukee Business Journal reports talks are underway for NX Level, which already has locations in Waukesha and Mequon, to build a third center in the Sussex building. NX Level is partners with Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin so it could also have a physical therapy clinic in the former Shopko store.
A majority of the floor space would be dedicated to hardwood courts for basketball, pickleball, and volleyball. There would also be a turf area for soccer. The Business Journal is reporting there would also be eight batting cages.
Mehring said if the Sussex Plan Commission approves the proposal, the project could move forward quickly, beginning with a purchase of the property by development group Lake Country Indoor Sports LLC as soon as next month.
Anderson Ashton Design/Build would be the designer and lead contractor, Mehring said.
If all goes well and the new destination is built, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports there's an opportunity to expand into the green space between the former Shopko and separately owned Kohl's store in the same shopping center.
That would be an addition of nearly 60,000 square feet, allowing for higher ceilings and more sports tournaments.
