A private real estate investment and development firm has pitched a plan to Sterling city officials to develop Northwestern Illinois’ largest indoor entertainment complex inside the former National Manufacturing buildings.

If approved, Barrel & Boards would be a “one-stop shop” of year-round family-friendly entertainment, including on-site food courts, a brewery, a winery, 20,000 square feet of games, including bocce ball and pickleball courts, a boutique bowling alley, virtual reality video games, an indoor electric go-kart track and much more.

Sterling native Colby Snyder, who is chief visionary officer for JCB Investments, presented a plan at the Monday, Aug. 4, City Council meeting that, if approved, could end the National Building’s 24-year vacancy.

“I was always told to think big or get a job,” Snyder said. “That building is 49,000 square feet, and we plan on using every square foot of it for our plan.”

Snyder said that if the city approves the plan in the next few months, JCB can move forward with the engineering and pre-construction phases immediately, with an anticipated soft opening as early as fall 2026.

JCB has already been in talks with city officials, including code enforcement, the Sterling Fire Department and the city manager’s office, to discuss site inspection and preparation concerns.

“There’s a lot of work to be done as far as the engineering phase to convert that building,” Snyder said. “The nice thing is, it’s a concrete structure, and there’s really not that much to tear out and renovate, just a lot of building.”

The project’s initial phase would take place over a period of 12-14 months and would include the construction of a 4,000-square-foot microbrewery with a 15,000-barrel capacity.

“This would be where the garage doors are located,” Snyder said. “We would replace that whole frontage with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, so that when you drive down the corner there, the first thing you see would be the sign with the big barrel-making operation, or the beer-making operation behind it, followed by a 2,000-square-foot winery.”

Other details for the Phase One opening would include a 4,000- square-foot bistro and food hall, featuring six to eight kitchens or units that could be subleased to vendors or private chefs, and a 20,000-square-foot gaming space, including full-size bocce ball courts, axe-throwing pits, billiard tables, dart boards, pickleball courts, ping pong, shuffleboard, giant adult games, air hockey, foosball, indoor parking and more.

Phase Two would be implemented in the fall of 2027, expanding the center to include the construction of a small boutique bowling alley, mini golf, a virtual-reality zone, a lounge and the indoor electric go-kart track.

JCB Chief Financial Officer John Moore said the family fun center is anticipated to create between 60-100 jobs while increasing tourism to the area by drawing an estimated 200,000 visitors annually from within a 70-mile radius.

He also estimates the center’s liquor, food and activity sales to generate a minimum of $200,000 in tax revenue for the city annually, with that figure projected to “grow significantly as the building grows downtown impact.”

“I don’t think timing could possibly be better with everything that M5 is bringing to the table and the city’s goals,” Moore said. “We all would like to see our city back to the way it was when I was a kid and we went out to the mall and had to fight for a parking spot. We are hoping to have an opportunity to try and bring some of that back.”

If approved, Moore said the center’s construction would cost the city nothing.

JCB would secure the buildings, taking ownership of the property to prevent further degradation. The group would commit to a minimum private investment of $1 million, with a fully activated Phase One and grand opening within 24 months. Additionally, the development would focus on ongoing job creation and generating long-term tax revenue for the city.

“This is a lot more than just a project,” Moore said. “This is an opportunity to help further the revitalization of downtown Sterling and we are ready to go to work to make this happen.”