An aerial view of the St. Lawrence Business Park in Kingston’s east end, shown from the southeast with the John Machin Soccer Fields in the foreground. Photo via City of Kingston Industrial Lands profiles.
Another indoor multi-sports facility has been proposed for the City of Kingston.
This one would be located in the St. Lawrence Business Park next to John Machin soccer fields.
City Council will decide at its meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, whether to sell vacant industrial land at 735 Innovation Drive to Kingston Multisport Investment Group Ltd. for an undisclosed price.
“The proposal consists of a 7,000 square metre all-season indoor sports facility on an approximately 4.4-acre site,” according to Paige Agnew, Commissioner of Growth and Development Services.
Graphic via report to Kingston City Council, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Agnew’s report to Council says that the private developer first approached the City in 2023 about developing the Innovation Drive site into a multi-use indoor sportsplex with a focus on soccer-related activities, and without the need for any municipal funding.
However, she says the initial proposal has been revised so that it won’t encroach on existing soccer fields.
The new lot boundaries consist of Lot 214, and an extension northerly into a strip of land currently used as an emergency access to the John Machin soccer fields, Agnew’s report states.
“This revised site boundary does not disturb the existing fields or the existing pathway, maintaining both ‘as-is’ and it will also continue to provide emergency access to the soccer fields after development, via an easement in favour of the City.”
The proposed indoor facility, if approved by Council, could come as welcome news for soccer clubs and players who’ve indicated that Kingston lacks sufficient indoor space for games and training, and often have to travel out of the City to find adequate facilities.
An architectural design of the proposed indoor all-season facility indicates it will be roughly 94,000 square feet in size – enough to accommodate four soccer pitches – with 173 parking spaces.
Architects drawing of the plans for a multisport facility at St. Lawrence Business Park in Kingston’s east end. Graphic by Alexander Wilson Architect Inc. via a report to Kingston City Council, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
The east-end land deal proposal surfaced in the middle of ongoing talks with another private company, Victory Grounds Ventures, to construct a soccer stadium that will be enclosed in winter on the Memorial Centre grounds.
The two indoor sports facilities are not connected.
In January, Pittsburgh District Councillor Ryan Boehme talked to Kingstonist about the possibility of the east end multi-sports facility.
“There’s a group of Kingstonians who really want to invest back in sports and soccer in the city. It’s not a dome that’s proposed. It’s a year-round rigid structure that offers a full indoor turf field for soccer but also other sports as well,” said Coun. Boehme, who did not want to identify the investors.
The City sought public feedback on the proposed development and parkland disposition in September and October 2024.
Concerns were expressed about the loss of existing soccer fields and green space, but staff stressed the revised proposal will not result in the loss of green space to accommodate the indoor sports facility.
“With the revision of the site boundaries, this concern has now been addressed. Some concerns related to noise and environmental impact will be addressed through planning approval process as part of the land use compatibility,” said Agnew’s report.
Architectural site plan for the proposed multisport facility at St. Lawrence Business Park. Graphic by Alexander Wilson Architect Inc. via a report to Kingston City Council, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.
Her report to Council recommends that councillors move forward with the land deal — declaring the property surplus to municipal needs with the intention to sell it to Kingston Multisport Investment Group Ltd. — with some conditions.
“The purchaser will be solely responsible for capital and operating costs of the facility; however, the purchaser is seeking deferral on the development charges for the proposed facility over a period of 10 years,” Agnew’s report notes.
Development charges on this project would amount to $1.8 million, plus an estimated $226,000 for building permit fees.
Staff recommended interest fees on the unpaid balance of the development charges will be payable over a 10-year period.
Money collected by the city through the pending sale of its business park property would be placed into its Industrial Land Reserve Fund.
The full agenda for the upcoming meeting of Kingston City Council can be read on the City’s website. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening in the Council Chambers of Kingston City Hall, located at 310 Ontario Street. Meetings can be viewed in person at City Hall, or virtually (during or after the meeting) in the video feature within the relevant Council agenda.
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