Key Takeaways
- Des Plaines would lend Nicholas Family of Companies up to $19.8 million, covering 90% of project cost, repaid over 20 years, per the Daily Herald.
- The city bought the 4-acre former Lattof YMCA site for roughly $1.9 million earlier this year and will transfer ownership to SG Des Plaines after construction.
- Plans call for a 90,000-square-foot facility with basketball and pickleball courts, a fitness area, walking track, bar, restaurant and retail store.
- Construction could begin this fall and finish within a year, with the council vote scheduled for Tuesday, September 8.
The Des Plaines City Council is expected to approve a $22 million economic incentive and development agreement Tuesday with SG Des Plaines and Spectate Group, two subsidiaries of Mount Prospect-based Nicholas Family of Companies, to convert the shuttered Lattof YMCA at 300 E. Northwest Highway into a private athletic center, the Daily Herald reported. The Des Plaines YMCA redevelopment would be financed almost entirely by the city, which plans to lend the developer up to $19.8 million against a $2.2 million private contribution.
How the Des Plaines YMCA Redevelopment Deal Is Structured
The financing terms set this project apart from a conventional facility build. According to the Daily Herald, Des Plaines would fund 90% of the project through a loan of up to $19.8 million to Nicholas Family of Companies, paid back over 20 years. The city expects the loan to generate more than $5 million in interest over that period.
Nicholas Family of Companies would contribute the remaining $2.2 million.
Des Plaines already owns the land. The city purchased the roughly 4-acre site earlier this year for about $1.9 million, per the report. Once construction is complete, the city will transfer ownership to SG Des Plaines, and Spectate Group will operate the business.
City officials also intend to support the developers’ eventual application for a property assessment reduction, which the Daily Herald reported could lower the site’s property tax bill for 12 years.
What Nicholas Family of Companies Plans to Build
Architectural renderings released by the city identify the facility as Cambridge Athletic & Social. The Daily Herald reported the roughly 90,000-square-foot community athletic facility will include basketball and pickleball courts, a fitness area with weightlifting equipment and a walking track, along with a bar, restaurant and store.
Nicholas Family of Companies already operates the Nicholas Sportsplex in Mount Prospect and the Rosemont Ice Arena. The Des Plaines site would add a third facility in Chicago’s northwest suburbs, all within a short drive of one another.
The building itself dates to 1961, when it opened as the Northwest Suburban YMCA. It was renamed the Lattof YMCA in 1980 in honor of suburban car dealer and philanthropist Nicholas M. Lattof, closed permanently in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has since fallen into disrepair, according to the report.
Des Plaines Extends Its Public-Private Development Playbook
The YMCA agreement follows a pattern the city has used before. The Daily Herald noted that earlier public-private partnerships in Des Plaines led to the renovation of the Des Plaines Theatre and the ongoing conversion of a former bank building on Lee Street into a restaurant called The Dime.
Alderman Patsy Smith, whose 7th Ward includes the site, told the Daily Herald she is “extremely excited” about the project. “I can’t wait for it to happen,” Smith said. “I know it’s going to be first class.”
For facility operators watching municipal financing models, the structure is worth noting: the city absorbs the land acquisition, fronts 90% of construction, earns interest on the loan, and hands the asset to a private operator at completion.
From Shuttered Y to Cambridge Athletic & Social in Twelve Months
Construction could start this fall and wrap up in about a year, per the Daily Herald. The council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Des Plaines City Hall, 1420 Miner St., one day later than usual because of the Labor Day holiday. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the city’s website.
If approved, a building that has sat vacant since 2020 would be back in operation by fall 2027, with Des Plaines taxpayers holding a 20-year, $19.8 million note on it.
Source: Daily Herald, Russell Lissau, September 3, 2026, https://www.dailyherald.com/20260903/local-politics/i-cant-wait-22m-redevelopment-deal-for-former-des-plaines-ymca-could-be-inked-tuesday/
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
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Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
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