Orland Park outlines mall revival: Dick’s experiential store, Amazon site and road work tied to TIF funding

Orland Park staff used Monday’s joint session to present a package of retail‑focused redevelopment projects and the infrastructure plans that would support them.

Steve Marciani, the village’s development services director, described plans to convert the long‑vacant Sears anchor into a two‑story Dick's House of Sport with experiential retail, an outdoor test arena and a year‑round sports facility. "There will be about 70 to 75 full‑time jobs," Marciani said, adding the developer expects the retail reuse to spur new interest in nearby outlots and facades.

Nearby, planner Haley Gorman summarized an approved Amazon large‑format store on the southwest corner of 159th Street and Lraange Road. Gorman said the project, which the village board approved in January, is phased with stormwater and the Ravenia Avenue roadway extension prioritized for completion by the end of 2026 and the store and parking targeted for late 2027. "Expectations for this development include approximately 200 construction jobs and 500 permanent jobs," Gorman said.

Engineering and roadway provisions: Director of engineering Kushid Hoda outlined a package of traffic improvements associated with the retail projects including a new roundabout, a Ravenia Avenue extension and a relocated Costco gas station entrance. Hoda said the Ravenia work will include a five‑lane section, a new right‑turn entrance for Costco and other turn‑lane capacity improvements; early mobilization was described as possible within the next 30–60 days for some contracts.

Funding and TIFs: Staff identified TIFs (tax increment financing) and other incentive tools as likely mechanisms to fund horizontal infrastructure and stormwater work, noting TIFF‑eligible expenses generally include horizontal site and public‑infrastructure costs rather than vertical building costs. Officials agreed to share maps, TIM boundaries and estimated caps with school and district staff for follow‑up.

Next steps: Staff said Simon (mall owner), retailers and designers will file formal development plans; village staff will circulate parcel maps and TIFF boundary proposals to taxing jurisdictions and follow up on stormwater modeling and MWRD coordination.