51黑料

But ultimately his efforts failed over a lease disagreement and worsening market conditions.

Come May 1, what Buck and his Big Sports Properties group did build out at the former Mills mall, off Highway 370 just north of Interstate 270, will cease operations. Buck said he plans to try elsewhere. And the site鈥檚 owner, Cleveland-based real estate developer Industrial Commercial Properties, instead will continue with its plans to redevelop the property into the Hazelwood Business Park.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a hard-fought journey. We worked very hard over the past four years to keep the property safe and operational for all the sports organizations and existing tenants,鈥� Buck said in a statement. 鈥淲e appreciate all the support from the city of Hazelwood, 51黑料 County and many others that believed in the project. We are very disappointed that the residents will not see the full sports campus come to fruition.鈥�

Buck, a former broadcaster, said POWERplex would have drawn thousands of young athletes, their families and tourists every year with a plethora of volleyball and basketball courts, ball fields, hotels, restaurants and more.

But the project faced hurdles from the beginning: first with securing a location, then with financing, and later scrutiny from the 51黑料 County Council that eventually relented and earmarked $6 million for the project. That money will stay in a trust fund, county officials said Friday.

Buck first presented POWERplex in 2016 in Chesterfield. After officials there killed the project, Buck considered sites in St. Peters and Hazelwood before settling on what was then called the 51黑料 Outlet Mall. But the mall was suffering and owed $38 million to its special taxing district, complicating redevelopment efforts.

Buck stuck with it, though, and persuaded state and local officials to commit public funding for POWERplex, even as plans shrunk in size. He said in a statement on Friday that Big Sports Properties invested over $2.5 million in maintenance and security at the Mills mall site and even built out 150,000 square feet of 鈥渟ports, entertainment and recreational spaces.鈥� It hosted high school graduations, outdoor concerts and movie nights during the pandemic.

POWERplex was to take roughly 40% of the site when Industrial Commercial Properties bought it late last year, with the rest devoted to warehouse space. And Buck thought a deal with Industrial Commercial Properties was imminent, until the two groups could not reach an agreement for a long-term lease.

Hazelwood City Manager Matthew Zimmerman said he was sorry to see POWERplex plans fall through and credited Buck for keeping the property from becoming a white elephant for the city. Zimmerman said officials now are looking forward to Industrial Commercial Properties redeveloping the entire 1.3 million-square-foot property 鈥� except for Cabela鈥檚 or Ice Zone, which will remain 鈥� into the Hazelwood Business Park.

Industrial Commercial Properties has already renovated much of the space to make it move-in ready and has fielded nine proposals for tenants, said Dan Lesinski of commercial real estate firm Newmark, who is marketing the property along with Billy Spence.

Chris Salata, COO of Industrial Commercial Properties, called the outcome with POWERplex unfortunate but said that his company will now be able to incorporate the former movie theater and its higher ceiling heights into its plans, which have already piqued the interest of other potential users. He expects the first tenant to move in this fall.

Buck, meanwhile, said Big Sports Properties has already had 鈥減reliminary discussions鈥� on other sites for POWERplex, but said it was too early to speculate on size or location.

鈥淭here is a lot to consider in such an endeavor,鈥� Buck said. 鈥淏ut there are many communities that know the value of a large amateur sports campus and what it can bring to their city and county.鈥�