A facility which would include golf driving ranges, a restaurant and bar and more is being proposed for the north side of Naperville.
A representative from the Dallas, Texas-based TopGolf group said the venue is planned for a site near the northwest corner of Route 59 and Interstate 88.
Director of Real Estate Zach Shor told the Naperville Liquor Commission Thursday the company plans to open a three-story, 65,000-square-foot facility that would include golf driving ranges and a full-service restaurant and bar at a cost of $18 million to $20 million.
The venue would also include 3,000 square feet of private event space and a rooftop terrace with fire pit.
The company, which was previously based in Chicago, operates another smaller facility in Wood Dale which Shor said “is not typical of the prototype being developed now.”
“That older facility has two stories and a third section that is not enclosed,” he said. “It’s one of our older buildings and is unlike the facilities we are developing now. We started talking with Naperville about our plans to locate here about four to five months ago, and we’re seeking a liquor license as well as a late night permit as we serve food and beverages all hours of the day.”
TopGolf currently operates 11 other facilities, with eight in the United States and 3 in the United Kingdom. Five more are scheduled to be opened by the end of this year, and 12 new facilities, including Naperville, are scheduled to break ground this year.
City attorney Mike DiSanto said the TopGolf group approached the city during a concept meeting in March and indicated that the local economic impact of the facility would be significant.
“The company is talking about using around 250 people during construction and then about 450 employees once it opens, with about 120 to 125 being full-time employees with benefits,” DiSanto said. “We talked about the type of liquor licenses needed and decided after consulting with their attorneys that this would be a ‘Class B’ license.”
The facility would be open seven days a week and operate from 9 a.m. until 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends. Its revenue stream, spokesmen said, is derived 50 percent from golf sales, and about 35 to 40 percent from food and the rest from liquor sales.
Shor said “if all the permits and entitlements go well” ground breaking could begin later this summer, with the facility set to open in late spring or early summer of next year.
Naperville has been on the company’s radar, he said, “because of its demographics.”
“We like the fact there is a lot of office space around and that the facility would be located near the I-88 corridor,” he said. “We think this will give people an entertainment option during the day and night as well, and we anticipate that a lot of people outside of Naperville would come and spend their money here.”
The Liquor Commission voted unanimously to recommend the late night permit TopGolf is seeking to begin construction. The matter moves on to the City Council, which will have to vote to raise the cap on late night permits to allow the move.