New Baseball and Softball Training Facility Approved for Center Road

Frankfort Village Board Meeting | February 2, 2026

Article Summary: The Frankfort Village Board on Monday approved a special use permit for The Launch Pad Chicago, LLC, allowing a new appointment-only baseball and softball training facility to open on Center Road. The board also granted a parking variance to allow the business to share existing spaces within the Laraway Center Business Park.

The Launch Pad Chicago Key Points:

• Location: 700 Center Road, within the Laraway Center Business Park.

• Operations: Appointment-only training for youth baseball and softball players with a 1:1 coach-to-player ratio.

• Conditions: A mandatory 15-minute buffer between sessions to manage traffic, and a prohibition on hosting tournaments or competitive events on-site.

• Vote: The measure passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda.

The Frankfort Village Board on Monday, February 2, 2026, officially paved the way for a new youth athletic facility, approving a special use permit for The Launch Pad Chicago, LLC.

The facility, to be owned and operated by Dylan Helstern, will occupy a 3,200-square-foot tenant space at 700 Center Road. The business is described as a “high-end professional facility” designed to provide private instruction for baseball and softball players of all talent levels.

According to the business narrative submitted to the Village, the facility will operate primarily from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The space will feature one pitching lane, two batting cages, an office, and a restroom. Operations will be strictly appointment-only, maintaining a one-to-one coach-to-student ratio to limit distractions and control foot traffic.

Trustee Dan Rossi presented the item, noting that the Plan Commission had previously forwarded a unanimous 6-0 recommendation for approval following a public hearing on January 8, 2026.

“The business shall implement a minimum 15-minute transition period between each instructional session to accommodate parking turnover,” Rossi stated, reading the conditions of the ordinance. Additionally, the permit explicitly prohibits tournaments or competitive events from being held at the location.

To accommodate the new use, the Board also approved a parking adjustment. While the village zoning ordinance typically requires 16 dedicated parking spaces for an indoor recreation facility of this size, the Board allowed the business to utilize the existing 104 shared parking spaces within the Laraway Center Business Park.

Documentation provided by the applicant indicated that peak hours for the center generally see a maximum of 52 vehicles, leaving ample capacity for the training facility’s low-volume, appointment-based model.