A Rye Brook based company building massive air-supported dome structures for more than 50 years is ready to build their largest multi-sports project yet ”” the Sports Kingdome ”” on a recently purchased parcel of land in the long-dormant IBM West Campus in East Fishkill.
“As far as we know from being in the industry 52 years, this is the largest air-supported dome in the world,” Donato “Dan” Fraioli, president of Air Structures American Technologies, Inc., said.
The Sports Kingdome will be 738 feet long, 466 feet wide and 150 feet tall ”” enough to fit two full-size professional football fields including the end zones.
- A rendering of the Sports Kingdome.
The height of the Kingdome alone caused the town of East Fishkill to rezone the parcel.
“Town zoning did not really allow a dome structure,” East Fishkill Town Supervisor John Hickman said. “But when we saw the economic potential for this Kingdome, we thought it would be in our best interest.”
Air Structures will offer preferred rates for dome activities to local schools and town residents, the supervisor said.
The dome will cost Hopewell Sportsdome, the investment arm of Air Structures, $25 to $30 million and draw as many as 500,000 visitors annually, including 250,000 sports participants, Fraioli said.
Construction will be performed under the Air Structures American Technologies banner.
With that kind of draw, Hickman and others are looking at the property as not just a boon for the community, but an economic stimulant for the entire area.
“I call this a catalyst,” Hickman said. “The former IBM industrial site … has been closed down for 8 years now.”
According to a presentation by Air Structures for the town, the project is expected to generate up to 100 full-time jobs and possibly millions in related economic activity for the area.
Tom LaPerch, a real estate broker with Houlihan Lawrence, worked closely on the sale of the portion of the IBM property, which included the 33-acre parcel sold to Hopewell Sportsdome Ventures LLC, the name under which Air Structures acquired the land from a subsidiary of the Chinese Linuo Solar Group for $2.2 million and the investment.
“I think that it has already had an impact in some ways, there is a buzz again from a community standpoint that the property is coming back to life again,” LaPerch said. “We are pretty excited about the dome bringing in a new influx of people into the area.”
The construction on the Kingdome property began in March with the clearing of trees, but signs of new economic life are already present with the recently established 12,000-square-foot orthopedic office and a new gas station coming this fall, LaPerch said.
With all necessary approvals obtained, Fraioli said the dome will take a year to complete and hopes to start business in the fall of 2016.
The dome will provide fields with amenities for a variety of sports from baseball and soccer to just about any sport that can be played on turf, he said.
Fraioli did not rule out alternative sports for the dome, such as indoor paintball, and outlined a wide array of possible future uses such as an indoor ice rink, hosting car shows and political conventions.
“Anything can happen in there; it is such a large space,” he said. “You are talking about eight acres of indoor climate-controlled space, I am sure people will come out the woodwork.”
The dome will also include a clubhouse with a 5,000-square-foot restaurant featuring casual food options and team seating, strength and conditioning equipment, physical therapy services ”” such as a massage therapist, chiropractic and orthopedic representatives ”” a pro shop and batting cages.
Youth sports, particularly baseball, with its popularity and large participation rates, are expected to be the primary use of the facility, Fraioli said, especially because the dome will be “the only” indoor facility allowing indoor play without modifying the rules of the game.
“You wont have to play the ball off the wall or ceiling,” he said. “There will be no difference from playing in our facility or playing in the park.”
Fraioli expects demand for the facility will exceed expectations and has already received several inquiries from parties interested in reserving space.
He expects to begin signing clients in January and February once a more definitive opening date is established.
A previous version of this article stated the $25 to $30 million investment would be made under Air Structures name.Â
