REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN)
Dubuque council to consider $310 million in projects, including youth sports complex
LOCAL NEWS WIRE • November 13, 2026
The Nov. 16 meeting will set public hearings on a $148 million sports complex and commercial development, an $80 million Dubuque Pack redevelopment and an $82 million Dubuque Community Y project
KEY FACTS & RECORD HIGHLIGHTS
- Total: nearly $310 million in private and nonprofit investment across three projects, over 10 years (City of Dubuque, Nov. 13, 2026).
- Nov. 16 council meeting will set public hearings for Dec. 21 on the three development agreements; the council also considers annexation and tax-increment financing districts.
- Youth sports complex and commercial development: about $148 million total on nearly 125 acres at the four corners of the Southwest Arterial interchange at North English Road.
- Sports facility: $58 million indoor/outdoor multi-sports facility on about 30 acres in the northeast quadrant, adjacent to Roosevelt Park; 155,000-square-foot dome with basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts plus artificial turf fields, batting cages and training areas; outdoor diamonds convertible for soccer and football; nearly 1,200 parking spaces.
- Commercial development: about $90 million on the remaining 95 acres, including hotels, restaurants, family entertainment, retail and highway-service businesses, built in phases.
- Sports complex construction would begin by May 2028, with substantial completion planned by June 2030.
- City terms: 30 acres for the sports complex sold for $1; 95 commercial acres sold for $1.74 million; about $21.2 million in tax-increment financing grants over 23 years, with about $5.3 million in tax-increment revenue retained for public improvements; projected $2.8 million in hotel/motel and sales taxes over five years once commercial buildout begins.
- The property is currently outside the city limits; the council will consider annexing it. The project was identified as a priority in the Envision 2030 community visioning process and the council's annual goal-setting process.
- Former Dubuque Pack site: about $80 million in private investment for a grocery store, hotel, restaurants, retail, recreational amenities and possible residential development; about $16 million in tax-increment financing; first phase within 12 months of completion of the 14th Street railroad overpass and the 16th Street/Sycamore Street roundabout; the developer has owned the property since 2005 and spent over $4 million removing the Dubuque Pack building.
- Dubuque Community Y project: about $82 million on about 160 acres at the southeast corner of the Northwest Arterial and Asbury Road; a $43 million, 85,000-square-foot Dubuque Community Y recreation center plus $39 million in commercial and residential development; Y construction scheduled to begin by May 2029 with substantial completion by December 2033; about $9.6 million in tax-increment financing over 23 years, with $2.4 million retained for public infrastructure.
The Dubuque City Council will consider support for nearly $310 million in private and nonprofit investment in sports and recreation, retail, commercial and housing projects over the next 10 years, the city announced Friday. The Nov. 16 council meeting will set public hearings for Dec. 21 on development agreements for three projects: a regional youth sports complex and commercial development along the Southwest Arterial, a mixed-use redevelopment of the former Dubuque Pack site on 16th Street, and a new Dubuque Community Y recreation center with housing and commercial development at the Northwest Arterial and Asbury Road. The sports complex proposal, from the nonprofit Why Not Dubuque and local developer Dubuque Sports Development LLC, would build a $58 million indoor and outdoor multi-sports facility on about 30 acres at the northeast quadrant of the Southwest Arterial interchange at North English Road, with a 155,000-square-foot dome, outdoor baseball and softball diamonds convertible for soccer and football, and nearly 1,200 parking spaces, KCRG reports. The remaining 95 acres would hold about $90 million in hotels, restaurants, family entertainment, retail and highway-service businesses. The city would sell the 30 acres for the sports complex for $1 and the 95 commercial acres for $1.74 million, and would provide about $21.2 million in tax-increment financing grants over 23 years. The Dubuque Pack site would see about $80 million in private investment for a grocery store, hotel, restaurants and retail, with about $16 million in tax-increment financing. The Dubuque Community Y project would invest about $82 million, including a $43 million recreation center, with about $9.6 million in tax-increment financing.
Official Attribution: Official Public Record • Official Public Record • Official Public Record • Official Public Record