Site work and new construction of a mixed-use development in Joliet, Illinois. Working plans call for the construction of a playground / park / athletic field; retail development; and educational facility.

https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/09/10/5-new-retailers-coming-to-rock-run-collection-in-joliet/ 5 new retailers coming to Rock Run Collection in Joliet More stores expected to announce in the coming weeks, developers say A banner rolled out Thursday at Rock Run Collection lists future stores announced for the Joliet mixed-use center. Sept. 10, 2026 A banner rolled out Thursday at Rock Run Collection lists future stores announced for the Joliet mixed-use center. Sept. 10, 2026 (Bob Okon) Cullinan Properties on Thursday announced five future retailers for a Joliet retail center anchored by Dick’s House of Sport. Retailers coming to the Rock Run Collection mixed-use center at Interstates 80 and 55 include Five Below, Maurice’s, Spencer’s, Buckle and Milana Nail Salon. The five retailers are “just the first round” of future stores and restaurants to be announced for Rock Run Collection, Maria Toliopoulos, chief strategy officer for Cullinan, said at a ceremony at the site. Excavation work continued Thursday for future retail development at Rock Run Collection, a mixed-use center being built in Joliet at Interstates 55 and 80. Sept. 10, 2026 Excavation work continued Thursday for future retail development at Rock Run Collection, a mixed-use center being built in Joliet at Interstates 55 and 80. Sept. 10, 2026 (Bob Okon) The stores, including Dick’s House of Sport, are expected to open in 2027. Toliopoulos said Rock Run Collection ultimately will have “more than 400,000 square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment, anchored by Dick’s House of Sport.” Dick’s House of Sport, a Dick’s Sporting Goods store with added features including a playing field, batting cages and more, was announced earlier this year. Vince Corno, senior vice president of real estate for Dick’s Sporting Goods, noted the uniqueness of the Rock Run Collection project in his comments at the ceremony. “This is one of the largest ground-up, super-regional retail centers in the country,” Corno said. The entire Rock Run Collection site is 309 acres. A crane being used for construction of the future 7-story Drury Plaza Hotel at the Rock Run Collection site rises over a tent used for a ceremony to celebrate the announcement of five retailers coming to the develop;ment. Sept. 10, 2026 A crane being used for construction of the future 7-story Drury Plaza Hotel at the Rock Run Collection site rises over a tent used for a ceremony to celebrate the announcement of five retailers coming to the develop;ment. Sept. 10, 2026 (Bob Okon) But it does compete with a similar project located just up I-55. The Boulevard Place, on 171 acres on a site that straddles Joliet and Plainfield at the U.S. Route 30 interchange with I-55, competed with Rock Run Collection for the Dick’s House of Sport store. Several high-profile restaurants have moved into The Boulevard Place, including The Olive Garden, Cooper’s Hawk and Longhorn Steakhouse, along with a Costco store. Four of the five retailers announced for Rock Run Collection now have stores in the Louis Joliet Mall, which is likely to fuel speculation that the new development will take away stores now located in the aging mall. Joliet City Council member Cesar Cardenas, who chairs the Land Use and Economic Development Committee and was at the Rock Run Collection ceremony on Thursday, said he expects retailers will want two locations in Joliet. “With a lot of these businesses, they’re about convenience,” Cardenas said. “They want to be accessible.” The Louis Joliet Mall area, now the main retail and restaurant center for Joliet, is not the regional destination it once was since neighboring villages like Plainfield and Shorewood have grown and attracted retailers and restaurants serving those communities. But the Louis Joliet Mall remains a major commerce area likely to compete with Rock Run Collection for stores and restaurants. The marketing scope of Rock Run Collection goes far beyond the Joliet area, however. Diane Cullinan Oberhelman, chairwoman for Cullinan Properties, pointed to the super-regional scope of the project in comments on Thursday. Diane Cullinan Oberhelman speaks durihg a ceremony on Thursday announcing retailers coming to the Rock Run Collection development in Joliet. Sept. 10, 2026 Diane Cullinan Oberhelman speaks durihg a ceremony on Thursday announcing retailers coming to the Rock Run Collection development in Joliet. Sept. 10, 2026 (Bob Okon) “There is no other project in the U.S. at the crossroads of America,” said Oberhelman, who repeatedly pointed to the I-55 and I-80 crossing that Joliet has for decades cited to refer to itself as being at the nation’s crossroads. Oberhelman said the location allows for “a huge super-regional draw that will go beyond 30 counties.” She said Cullinan Properties is looking at a potential market of several million people and plans to announce other retailers like Dick’s House of Sport, which will provide visitors with experiences that go beyond shopping Oberhelman said news of more retailers will come in the next three weeks, but it depends on when retailers are ready to announce their plans. The plan for Rock Run calls for one area devoted to big-box stores, including the Dick’s House of Sport. A second area will be developed into a lifestyle center that will feature walking paths allowing pedestrian traffic from store to store and into a restaurant area that is to be developed. The retail area is being built across from the Hollywood Casino Joliet, which relocated last year to Rock Run Collection. The only restaurant open outside the casino now is a Chipotle, located near the I-55 interchange. A Ricky Rockets fuel center is being built on the site, as is a seven-story Drury Plaza Hotel. The View, an apartment complex on the site, has been completed. --------------------------------------- https://www.shawlocal.com/the-herald-news/2026/07/06/joliet-city-council-to-vote-on-plan-for-rock-run-collection-taxes/ Joliet City Council to vote on plan for Rock Run Collection taxes A sign promoting the Rock Run Collection project stands outside The View, a 570 unit apartment complex under development at the site. May 6, 2026 A sign promoting the Rock Run Collection project stands outside The View, a 570 unit apartment complex under development at the site. May 6, 2026 (Bob Okon) By Bob Okon The Joliet City Council on Tuesday will vote on a plan to add special taxes in the Rock Run Collection development. The taxes would provide revenue to pay off city bonds that are funding infrastructure work in the 310-acre development being built in Joliet at Interstates 55 and 80. The upcoming vote would set an Aug. 4 date for a public hearing on the tax plan. A final vote on the tax plan would come after the hearing. The plan is to create a business district where occupation taxes at a rate of up to 1% could be applied to retailers, hotels and service providers. The district would be contained within the Rock Run Collection development. A sign marks off the construction site for the Drury Plaza Hotel being built outside the Hollywood Casino Joliet at Rock Run Collection in Joliet. May 6, 2026 A sign marks off the construction site for the Drury Plaza Hotel being built outside the Hollywood Casino Joliet at Rock Run Collection in Joliet. May 6, 2026 (Bob Okon) Rock Run Collection currently is home to Hollywood Casino Joliet and a Chipotle restaurant. Several businesses are under development, including a Dick’s House of Sports and a Drury Plaza Hotel. A staff memo on the proposed business district notes that it has been changed to include the Hollywood Casino property. The council in 2022 approved a Rock Run Collection redevelopment agreement that provided for the creation a business district, according to the memo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cullinan Properties is proposing a major retail expansion within the Rock Run Collection development in Joliet, Illinois, anchored by a new Dick’s House of Sport. The project includes a 120,000-square-foot experiential Dick’s House of Sport facility featuring athletic and recreational amenities, along with approximately 300,000 square feet of additional national and super-regional retail space. The development is contingent on a $37 million city-backed incentive package tied to general obligation bonds, distributed only as stores open and generate revenue.