Construction begins on $53M Attleboro youth and community sports complex

NEW ENGLAND SPORTS VILLAGE,  a $53 million project under construction in Attleboro, is shown in this rendering. / COURTESY AJAX 5CAP NESV LLC
NEW ENGLAND SPORTS VILLAGE, a $53 million project under construction in Attleboro, is shown in this rendering. / COURTESY AJAX 5CAP NESV LLC

ATTLEBORO – Construction has begun on a $53 million youth and community sports complex, the New England Sports Village, which aims to become a one-stop-shop for parents of children in organized athletics.
The project will include two NHL-regulation sized hockey rinks and an aquatic center in its first phase, which is now under development.
Site work began in late September on the 140-acre site, located off Exit 3 on Interstate 95. Blasting and construction of foundations is now taking place, according to Alex Fitzpatrick, a spokeswoman for the developer, Ajax 5cap NESV LLC.
The demand for modern athletic facilities and performance space – including ice time for youth and high school teams – is keen, according to Dave Boucher, a company principal, in a telephone interview.
The project is aimed at the regional share of what is a $7 billion national industry, travel youth sports events, Fitzpatrick said.
“The idea is to create a one-stop location that provides almost every single activity that we do as families on the weekend, all under one roof,” Boucher said. “There will be a dance school, there will be a gymnastics academy, a karate school, a softball academy. All under one roof to create some efficiencies for parents.”
The two hockey rinks, along with a smaller, studio rink, are not scheduled to be completed until September, Boucher said, but they have already been booked from 4 to 11 p.m. on weeknights by organized teams.
The aquatic center will have a 50-meter length pool, and will share parking with the hockey building.
A second phase of the development will include a 120-room, mid-range hotel and a 150,000-square-foot field house, an enclosed structure that will contain space for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and other turf sports, as well as four indoor basketball courts. The project will also feature about 45,000-square-feet in leased retail space, which could include restaurants or retail stores, as well as an urgent care facility.
The project has a primary market of a 30-mile radius, including much of Rhode Island, and expects to draw one-third of its participants from the Ocean State.
The facility, on completion, will compete with the Rhode Island Convention Center for dance, cheer and other performance tournaments, he said.
The city of Attleboro has approved the plans, with permits issued by the Conservation Commission, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, according to its website.
In 2013, Boucher purchased 104 acres for the project from the Attleboro Redevelopment Authority, which had at one time planned to redevelop the land for industry. The city invested in an access road, Commerce Way, but ultimately did not attract industry to the site.
The purchase price for the acreage was $2.34 million, according to Boucher, who said his project is being privately financed.
He is negotiating with city officials on a Tax Increment Financing plan, which he said he hoped to have in place before the first phase is complete.

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