Supervisors approve proposal for Ashburn sports complex
By Jason Jacks
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a controversial plan Sept. 2 to build a large multifield sports complex along Belmont Ridge Road in Ashburn."This, though privately, will help reduce the need for fields in our county," said Board Chairman Scott York (I-at large), one of eight board members to vote for the proposal by developer Play to Win LLC, headed up by Leesburg-resident Chris Bourassa.
Once up and running in about 13 months, the $40 million private complex will consist of six artificial outdoor fields plus three more inside a 225,000-square-foot building. Play to Win's original plans called for only four of its outdoor fields to be artificial. However, in order to reduce the need for fertilizers, it recently changed its plans to have all six covered with synthetic turf.
The complex will be built on 40 acres on the north side of Belmont Ridge Ridge, south of its intersection with Route 7, and will also include multipurpose courts, offices, a gymnasium, a restaurant and a swimming academy.
Loudoun Soccer, the Northern Virginia Football Club and the women's professional softball team, the Washington Glory, are among the groups signed on to use the facility.
Despite a need for additional playing surfaces in Loudoun, approval of the Play to Win proposal by the board was far from a sure thing going into Tuesday's vote.
Since first making local news late last year, the Play to Win plan drew concerns from residents living along two-lane Belmont Ridge Road of late-night noise, unwanted lights and increased traffic.
A small group of homeowners from nearby Belmont Country Club had been lobbying supervisors to delay their vote so more time could be given to addressing those concerns.
There were also worries about what type of impact such a facility would have on nearby Goose Creek, a major water source for residents in Loudoun.
If not approved by supervisors, the developer still could have moved forward with its sports complex, albeit without the building that will now house its swimming academy.
At Tuesday's board meeting, Supervisor Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg), the only board member to vote against the proposal, made a motion to send the request back to the Planning Commission for more vetting.
Ultimately, though, some supervisors said they were pleased by the developer's promise to limit noise and use of field lights to certain times of the day and to donate right of way for the future widening of Belmont Ridge Road.
Others said the demand for more places to play in Loudoun was too great to ignore.
"We have an obesity epidemic in this country," noted Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac). "We need places to work out."
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com