Mundelein baseball facility could relocate and expand

A private youth baseball training facility in Mundelein could relocate to the village’s northwest side and expand its amenities.

The Bolt now operates on the south side of town at 300 Townline Road. Owner Jerry Fox wants to move the business about four miles to the 28000 block of North Route 83.

The undeveloped property is north of Route 176 and just east of the Mundelein Commons shopping center anchored by Target and Home Depot.

Fox has a contract to buy the nearly 5-acre site on Route 83, documents show. The land is in unincorporated Fremont Township now, and he wants the village to annex it.

The village board on Monday directed village staffers to draft documents needed to annex the property, amend the village map and approve zoning variations. If brought into the village as proposed, the land will be zoned for commercial use, documents indicate.

Launched in Mundelein in 2021, The Bolt was designed for young athletes on the Lightning travel baseball and softball teams. It has dedicated areas for pitching, hitting, fielding and throwing practices, as well as a weightlifting room and other amenities.

Fox envisions a 42,000-square-foot facility on Route 83, documents indicate. In addition to baseball facilities, indoor pickleball and tennis courts and a golf simulator would be available to the public with memberships, documents indicate.

“Pickleball — it’s hot,” said Trustee Tim Wilson, who leads the village’s community and economic development committee.

Fox plans to work with a partner to run the expanded facility, said Isabel Guadarrama, a senior planner with the village.

The Route 83 property abuts Fremont Township’s Ivanhoe Community Club Park, which has a baseball field. During Monday’s village board meeting, Fremont Township Supervisor Diana O’Kelly requested a fence be constructed between the proposed Bolt site and the park to prevent construction debris from littering the park.

The plan previously had been recommended by Mundelein’s plan commission after a pair of public discussions. Among other changes, the commission had recommended Fox add windows and change other elements of the proposed building’s design to make it appear less industrial.

Mayor Steve Lentz called Fox an “icon in travel baseball in Lake County” and thanked Fox for keeping the operation in Mundelein.