The City of Lilburn moves forward with plans to turn a defunct waste water treatment facility into a multi-field sports complex for baseball tournaments.

Council members took the first step by approving the $1.31 million purchase of the 38-acre Jackson Creek Water and Sewerage Authority off Indian Trail Road from Gwinnett County.

Mayor Johnny Crist tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish the city envisions a Big League Dreams baseball sports complex that could host tournaments and draw players from around the country.

After demolishing the current facility, Crist says the city hopes to sell the land to a developer for the same purchase price the city paid, who would then build the complex.  If no baseball fields are built, the land would revert back to the city.

“That’s a much better use of the land than stores or any restaurants or anything of that nature, and it’s great for the kids,” says Lilburn resident Cheryl Ducroiset.

She believes the sports complex would revitalize the area.

“I could see that more businesses would open up there and it would stabilize… and improve that area overall,” says Ducroiset.

David McGaughey, also of Lilburn, likes the idea but hopes the economy can sustain such a complex.

“Time will tell, but I believe it’s a great place for it to be,” he says.