Lisle Park District
Indoor Recreation Space Feasibility Study
| Location: | Year Completed: | Project Type: | Partners: |
| Lisle, IL | 2025 | City-wide Parks and Recreation Master Plan | ETC Institute |
The Lisle Park District (in Lisle, IL) residents envisioned new Indoor Recreation Space as part of the District’s 2023 Strategic Master Plan as the community identified several priorities to improve the District’s services to the community and to align District resources with the community’s values. The primary recommendation from the Strategic Master Plan’s “Big Moves” (which is defined as “the most significant outcomes desired”) is to develop additional indoor multigenerational recreation space.
This feasibility study guides the District in aligning its facilities with current and future community needs, while assisting the Board of Park Commissioners and staff in making informed, strategic decisions about indoor recreation space development. Rooted in the District’s mission to “Be Community Focused,” this initiative aims to evaluate how additional indoor recreation space can further enrich the quality of life in Lisle by expanding year-round access to fitness, wellness, and social experiences that bring residents together.
The District’s last major indoor recreation investment followed a 2008 referendum to construct an 85,000-square-foot recreation center that did not pass. In response, the District pivoted and, through thoughtful fiscal stewardship, purchased and renovated an existing 39,800-square-foot manufacturing building into what is now the Lisle Recreation Center. The Recreation Center has become a valued community hub for enrichment. It is home to the Gentle Learning Preschool, Senior Center, SEASPAR programming, administrative offices, and multipurpose rooms. It continues to demonstrate the strong community benefit of accessible, flexible indoor space through increased participation and diverse programming.
However, as the old Community Center at 1825 Short Street approaches the end of its useful life, the District now faces both a challenge and an opportunity. Evaluating whether new or expanded indoor recreation spaces, potentially on or near the current Community Center site, would best meet the evolving recreation, fitness, and community gathering needs of Lisle Park District residents is central to this study. If supported through the feasibility process, additional indoor recreation space would enhance public value by providing inclusive, multigenerational, and year-round access to recreation and wellness opportunities, fostering community connections, and supporting the overall health and vitality of Lisle for decades to come.
