The greater Kansas City region is the Youth Sports Facility Capital of the World™.
One of its upcoming additions has run into a bit of local pushback.
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, approved a $48M, 180K-square-foot indoor complex last year.
Project plans for View High Sports & Entertainment have since been updated to include an inflatable dome over an outdoor soccer field from about Thanksgiving to mid-March. The bubble would be roughly the height of a four-story building.
Nearby residents have objected to the dome, expressing fears about the noise blower fans will generate to keep it inflated. There are also concerns about aesthetics.
There will be a public hearing later in March to determine whether the complex can get a five-year special use permit for the dome, which has already had its specs altered to meet code.
Elsewhere …
Chesterfield, Missouri: The St. Louis suburb is generating $25M annually from youth sports tourism. Plans to expand a 73K-square-foot basketball/volleyball complex are underway; the city is also looking to add more outdoor fields.
Kirkwood, Missouri: A youth soccer organization bought vacant baseball and softball fields from the city for $175K. The site could be transformed into a soccer complex for the St. Louis suburb.
Milton, Delaware: Hudson Fields has partnered with Delaware FC, a youth soccer organization. The complex will receive new artificial and natural grass fields with designs on being able to host tournaments year-round; some state tourism grant funds will go toward the project.
New Oxford, Pennsylvania: A new nonprofit organization has proposed a multi-sport outdoor complex. Early plans had called for 8-12 baseball/softball fields. The facility would sit about 20 minutes from Gettysburg National Military Park.
New York City: MADE Hoops and HMBL Development have opened a 15K-square-foot basketball training facility in Brooklyn. The programming will model European academy training.
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