Developer plots mega-sports complex in W. Locks with stadiums, hotels, 500 jobs

[Marty Jackson]

Example?

Drive up 84. There was a softball complex that was big for a couple years. Completely overgrown and abandoned.

Around Vernon Or maybe just passed.

One example. I'm sure there are others.

 

[Hoophound]

Two things:

1. This is like the ESPN facility in Orlando, without the Disney draw. It is always packed.

2. Windsor Locks is a convenient location for this. It is very convenient to Hartford/Springfield, New York/New Jersey and Boston etc. Mega millions of people wishin 2.5 hours.

The big issue is going to be how to make it an enticing venue for teams from far away. Would you want to travel from Ohio by airplane to watch your kid play basketball and then enjoy the nightlife, entertainment and cultural offerings of greater Windsor Locks?

 

[SubbaBub]

I'll file this one right next to the Nascar track and the Patriots stadium. Developers can and will say anything, especially if it nets them a tax break or economic development funds. Marketing their property is also a nice consolation.

You'd think a well known national developer with a history of telling whoppers would have educated the masses by now.

 

[fatlucy]

Similar to Spooky Nook in PA. Home of the USA Field Hockey

Spooky Nook Sports

I was there this weekend for my daughters AAU tourney. Second time this year and 5th time in 3 years. The place was PACKED every time. It’s bigger and nicer every year.

 

[fatlucy]

Teams pay per hour use of the facilities.

It can range from $150 an hour per field, court, to $500 an hour.

Then you have events, tournaments, etc. Registration fees per team are $1000+. And, you make it mandatory for teams to stay in your hotel. Add in parents, and your 2 hotels are full. You have 200 teams show up for the tournament, and that's $200k in one weekend.

And you buy your food, pay for parking, cover charge, pictures, sports gear, multiple bars next to the courts. $$$$

 

[huskymedic]

Drive up 84. There was a softball complex that was big for a couple years. Completely overgrown and abandoned.

Around Vernon Or maybe just passed.

One example. I'm sure there are others.

Again, totally different concept and even then, Vernon Sportsplex has a solid decade plus run. Think it opened in 93/94?

 

[uconnphil2016]

Seems like the main asset for a place like this would be ease of access. Easier to get flights to Orlando or Cleveland even than to BDL

 

[krinklecut]

Was Ben Wyatt involved?

 

[UofCT]

I was there this weekend for my daughters AAU tourney. Second time this year and 5th time in 3 years. The place was PACKED every time. It’s bigger and nicer every year.

I guess that too is also in the middle of nowhere, kind of. Near Hershey and Harrisburg.

 

[JustbrewitMan]

Two things:

1. This is like the ESPN facility in Orlando, without the Disney draw. It is always packed.

2. Windsor Locks is a convenient location for this. It is very convenient to Hartford/Springfield, New York/New Jersey and Boston etc. Mega millions of people wishin 2.5 hours.

The big issue is going to be how to make it an enticing venue for teams from far away. Would you want to travel from Ohio by airplane to watch your kid play basketball and then enjoy the nightlife, entertainment and cultural offerings of greater Windsor Locks?

Don't forget that by the time this would get built, there'd be two exciting casinos within ~15-20min of WL for all kinds of excitement!

 

[fatlucy]

I guess that too is also in the middle of nowhere, kind of. Near Hershey and Harrisburg.

Yup. And there teams from Georgia, Syracuse, NE, NY, NY, VA, you name it. The key is getting the college coaches to show up.

 

[TheDoggPound]

Are we sure the the developers aren't James Duckett and Mitch Anderson?

 

[Fishy]

I'll tell you the market that is out of control (not that it's the best fit for this) but the 20-30 year old market for organized sports is insane in CT. For any of the younger crowd on here, you know what I'm talking about. What started as WAKA (World Adult Kickball Association), yes I swear this is a real thing...has now turned into Club WAKA where they have leagues with hundred and hundreds of participants every night of the week playing kickball, flag football, sand volleyball, dodgeball, etc. etc. You name it and they're doing it. I'm still amazed that WAKA hasn't built some kind of complex in CT where they can house all of these events. It's huge and seems to be growing and from what I understand pretty much every session of every sport offered "sells out" and there's limited availability.

Now I don't see how this helps two 6,000 seat stadiums, but I'm just bringing up that if there is a market in CT that's strong, this is it. Honestly, WAKA would probably kill it with some kind of complex like the one that used to be in Vernon (only for baseball/softball) because they could use fields for all of their different sports.

It is a real thing.

I showed your post to one of the founders. (He was my next door neighbor growing up - he and my brother were roommates in DC when he quit a very good tech gig to inexplicably start a kickball league.)

His response...”Sports complexes are a completely different biz, so though intesting, it's basically starting a different business. While we are happy to tell our facilities partners what they are getting right, and where we would like changes, we are not conceited enough to think we could figure out the complex (as noun and adjective) biz, while maintaining our core offerings of fun, social sports, any more than we would recommend a sports facility or bar try to figure out our business. We prefer the collaboration model.”

Bumpster sticker edit - “Real estate is hard.”

 

[Waquoit]

Would you want to travel from Ohio by airplane to watch your kid play basketball and then enjoy the nightlife, entertainment and cultural offerings of greater Windsor Locks?

You take CT Rail to the Yard Goats game.

And by the time this thing gets built, Bobby V's will have sports betting. Then you can teach the kids how to throw down.

 

[UofCT]

Yup. And there teams from Georgia, Syracuse, NE, NY, NY, VA, you name it. The key is getting the college coaches to show up.

Probably 100 D3 schools within driving distance of Spooky.

 

[upstater]

Would you want to travel from Ohio by airplane to watch your kid play basketball and then enjoy the nightlife, entertainment and cultural offerings of greater Windsor Locks?

Ugh. This year I've done Bethesda, MD; Rocky Mount, NC; Geneva, OH; Lake George, NY; the highlight I suppose was a tourney on the mainline in Philadelphia. You'd be surprised what parents put up with.

 

[Bryan Lord]

Monorail
Monorail
Monorail

 

[Bryan Lord]

But as someone mentioned, if Waka plays there it might work out . They sell out adult Dodgeball leagues which people pay like 90 bucks for 10 games.

 

[AreBee1969]

I loved playing there. Concessions and lights! But that was not exactly a financial failure story. From what I've heard the guy who built it sold it for millions to a developer who was going to put up a big box store...which never happened.

We won two state championships there in the '90s. It was awesome! The outfields were like putting greens. Place always seemed to be hopping. Local Ford dealer always showed cars there in between the fields. Great concessions, volleyball games. I think all the state tournaments are in Branford now. This place would have to draw regional qualifiers and finals tournaments from the bigger areas to get people here from all over.

I've traveled to Jersey, Mass and PA for my two daughters' lacrosse and volleyball tournaments over the years. Most of these tournaments are at colleges or combination high school/middle school complexes with multiple fields/courts. I haven't seen facilities that are strictly sports venues. I live in Farmington and have seen FSA thrive with their indoor and outdoor soccer facilities, but its nothing on the scale that we're talking here.

 

[thatguyed]

Travel sports is huge business. Here in Myrtle Beach, the Ripken complex runs year-round and the city has a massive indoor complex for basketball, volleyball, etc. With that said, Windsor Locks is not ever a "destination" and MB definitely is every day of the year. Maybe it'll make sense for New England travel teams but I doubt it'll fly for much more than that.

 

[Guapo]

Should we take the over or under on a 30% chance this gets built?

 

[Flahuskie]

Weekend tournaments all summer long with upwards of 65 teams paying large entrance fees. It's softball frenzy, I've seen it.

The developer he's teamed with owns the adjacent property where he's putting up a hotel. There ya go.

He's currently using the fields across from The Rent (Aircraft Club). He also operates an indoor field I designed for him in Bloomfield so he's got a year long revenue stream.

Also, his recent comment about the Windsor Locks development: "Yes we know this well. This person/company is a known joke. They have left a trail of failed announcements and towns holding the bag many times. They tried this first with Windsor. They actually have mo money and this will NEVER happen."

Please clarify

Are you saying that the developer of the proposed Windsor Locks site has teamed up with another developer who plans a hotel on an adjacent site?

 

[Bezzz]

Please clarify

Are you saying that the developer of the proposed Windsor Locks site has teamed up with another developer who plans a hotel on an adjacent site?

Yes, the hotel developer owns the land that the softball park will occupy, and is footing the bill for some site improvements including utilities and parking. It will ultimately enhance the value of the adjacent property where the hotel (and other things, office, retail...) will be built. It's a very large site. The landowner is quite wealthy.

 

[huskymedic]

Please clarify

Are you saying that the developer of the proposed Windsor Locks site has teamed up with another developer who plans a hotel on an adjacent site?

Yes, the hotel developer owns the land that the softball park will occupy, and is footing the bill for some site improvements including utilities and parking. It will ultimately enhance the value of the adjacent property where the hotel (and other things, office, retail...) will be built. It's a very large site. The landowner is quite wealthy.

Are you two not talking about two separate projects - one in Windsor ( you @Bezzz is involved in) and one in Windsor Locks on the tobacco fields?

 

[Flahuskie]

Are you two not talking about two separate projects - one in Windsor (@Bezzz is involved) and one in Windsor Locks on the tobacco fields?

That's exactly my question--Its why I am confused What adjacent property in WINDSOR LOCKS are you talking about?