Cicero closes deal to build Wal-Mart Super Store

CICERO, Ill., June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Town President Larry Dominick and officials of Arkansas-based Wal-Mart formally closed an agreement Tuesday to build a Wal-Mart Super Center on the eastern half of the former Sportsman's racetrack.

Under the contract, Wal-Mart will pay $7.5 million for 24.67 acres of land at the former racetrack to construct a 190,000 sq. ft. Super Center.

President Dominick said the sale was achieved without any tax or TIF incentives from Cicero taxpayers but will bring huge benefits to the community.

"We're very proud of the agreement and very excited to have Wal-Mart bring their successful retail brand to our community," Dominick said.

"Wirtz Beverage Illinois is up and running and doing well. With Wal-Mart now taking over most of the remaining property, we believe that the old vacant Sportsman's property will become a powerful commercial hub that will strengthen Cicero's economic engine." 

Cicero sold 35 acres of the vacant Sportsman's Park in January 2011 to Wirtz Beverage Illinois, which has since built a $75 million, 600,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art distribution center that employs more than 1,000 people.

As a part of that deal, Wirtz agreed to pay for the construction of a regulation-sized outdoor hockey stadium in Cicero Community Park. Since it's opening in 2012, the ice rink has attracted thousands of young kids to the ice rink during winter months and roller-skating during summer months.

The new Wal-Mart is expected to generate more than $1 million a year in sales taxes for the Town of Cicero, Dominick said and it puts the property back on the tax rolls.

"The new Wal-Mart Super Center will also serve as a retail magnet to bring consumers who might otherwise drive to other Wal-Mart locations to spend their money and that will benefit not only the Town and the taxpayers, but also all of the local businesses," Dominick said noting that many of the customers who will shop at the new Wal-Mart will be coming in from outside of Cicero.

"This project will only help to strengthen all of our existing businesses. It will bring new customers into the Town and they will spend their money here. And that's good for our residents."

Wal-Mart agreed to a request from President Dominick to host a job fair to allow Cicero residents to compete for the more than 400 jobs that the new store will create.

"We can't guarantee that Wal-Mart will hire anyone, but we wanted to make sure that Cicero residents had an equal chance to obtain any of the hundreds of new jobs that will be created," Dominick said. The new store is expected to create 400 new jobs and 200 temporary construction jobs.

Wal-Mart's Cicero store is expected to do very well. The Cicero Sam's Club was hailed last month as the number one retail establishment in the Sam's Club chain, which is a subsidiary of Wal-Mart.

"The sportsman's property remained vacant and an eye-sore for years. When Larry Dominick was elected president in 2005, he made it one of his top priorities to turn that land into productive, revenue-generating property," said Town Spokesman Ray Hanania.

"It was one of his priorities. The closing of the Wal-Mart deal on Tuesday makes that promise a reality. A promise made and another promise to the residents that President Dominick kept."

Cicero will continue to own 10 acres of the remaining Sportsman's property, which is reserved for future retail expansion and development.

SOURCE Town of Cicero