The entity Westchester Sports Arena LLC based in Montrose is proposing to convert part of an industrial building in Peekskill into an indoor soccer training center and arena. The amusement center use requires a special permit to be issued by the city’s Common Council in addition to site plan approval by the city’s Planning Commission.
According to a report prepared for Peekskill by a planning consultant, the applicant proposes to renovate an 18,302-square-feet portion of a former warehouse space that had been used by a Red Bull distributor as an indoor soccer training center that would be called the Westchester Sports Arena.
The facility would have three indoor soccer fields, a training area, a reception and waiting area, offices, and locker rooms. One of the fields will have a hardwood floor suitable for soccer, basketball, tennis and other sports, and the other fields will be turf for soccer only. Existing uses in the building include a skate park, moving company, and a mechanic shop for large trucks. The Spare Cube self-storage facility is on the same property but not located within the building that would house the soccer facility.
According to the planning consultant, the applicant anticipates that there would be about 40 players in the facility at any given time. The plan does not call for bleachers to be installed. The fields will have nets installed to protect observers such as parents who are watching their children train or play.
The operational model for the facility requires team coaches to reserve space for their team practices. Players would be required to sign up as member of the facility. The facility would not be open to walk-ins. The applicant said that food would not be served and no parties would be held.
The planning consultant reported that the operating hours would be Monday through Friday from noon until 8 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.. The soccer training business owners currently use space in East Coast Sports in Yorktown and in the Premier Athletic Club in Montrose.
Architect Jorge B. Hernandez of Ossining-based ARQ Architecture told the Planning Commission, “There will be no change in exterior lighting, stormwater, paving, or landscaping. The parking area is existing, and the owner has dedicated 100 parking spaces to this tenant in their lease contract where only 92 will be required. The proposed change will not be a detriment to the neighborhood. On the contrary, the change in use will benefit the local community, and enhance the characteristics of the neighborhood.”
Hernandez said that the applicant also is proposing to operate an after-school program, which will run between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. He said that the impact of any additional traffic in the area will be negligible and that a camera system will be installed inside and outside the facility to promote a safe indoor and outdoor environment.
