NORTH YORK, Pa. — Wednesday’s heavy rain isn’t slowing down plans to bring an indoor sports complex to York County.
“I think right now people are driving long distances every night, taking their kids to the other side of the river in Lancaster or coming up from Baltimore so we’re excited to put something right at [Interstate] 83 and [Route] 30," said Jeff Inch, CEO of Inch & Co. "[It's a] great location.”
Demolition of the old Central York stadium and athletic fields is now underway. This week, crews will be demolishing the stadium bleachers. They will move to removing the concession stand, tennis courts, lights, dugouts and track in the coming weeks.
“On this exact site there’s track, football, soccer, baseball, lacrosse so we’re bringing it back right to this exact site," said Inch. "So it’s going from an older sports complex to a newer sports complex.”
According to Inch & Co., the new 225,000 sq. ft. complex will have a turf field for football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer and field hockey.
There will also be 16 volleyball courts, eight basketball courts, pickleball and tennis courts, and a fitness center.
There will also be a recovery and orthopedic center with physical therapy and chiropractic services, along with a café, lounge and apparel store.
“It’s for the kids, it’s for the seniors who want to play pickleball, it’s for those who come for Special Olympics, it’s for the adults who want to do fitness," Inch said. "We want to be a full spectrum assistance to the community.”
The company estimates the complex will create more than 50 jobs and have an annual economic impact of $19.3 million on York County.
It's also expected to generate more than an estimated $1.9 million in annual tax revenue and attract an estimated 172,800 visitors attending tournaments, 130,000 of whom are from out-of-town.
“Hotels, restaurants, retail stores that were suffering due to Covid, now they’re coming out of Covid and we want to give that big bump to them to help them excel in their business," Inch said.
As for traffic concerns, Inch says the location is in a good spot to help digest the out-of-town travel that’s expected.
“[Interstate] 83 sits literally right there, you can see the cars from 83, you can see the cars from 30," he explained. "We’re sitting on the two main arteries of central Pa. which means we can get traffic to those arteries.”
Developers hope to break ground by the end of summer.
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