$30M North Huntingdon sports complex that would host Riverhounds revived by commissioners
North Huntingdon may end up leasing township property to developers who want to build a $30 million sports complex, but the township’s solicitor will craft the agreement.
The commissioners last week voted to have township solicitor Bruce Dice draft a proposed lease that will be reviewed by commissioners before being presented to the developers of the project, NHT Sports Complex LLC partners Josh Zugai and David Ponsonby.
The developers were pleasantly surprised by the move, Zugai said.
After the commissioners voted Oct. 10 to end negotiations, Zugai presented board President Jason Atwood with a revision that would have the developers pay a minimum of $1.65 million over the 116-year life of the lease.
Atwood and commissioners Ron Zona, Eric Gass and Zachary Haigis supported the move to draft a lease. Commissioners Richard Gray, Fran Bevan and Tom Hempel voted against it.
Haigis proved to be the swing vote. On Oct. 10, he joined Gray, Bevan and Hempel in voting to end the negotiations with the developers on a draft of the lease.
The developers’ exclusive rights to negotiate a lease on the 42-acre parcel expired Sept. 16.
Last week, Haigis floated the idea of the township crafting the lease.
“We actually create a lease that we’re comfortable with as a board. If you (developers) want to lease our property, you fall under our lease,” Haigis said.
The developers wanted to lease the land for 116 years — in four terms of 29 years each — at just $1 a year. That essentially gives them ownership of the property, Haigis said.
The township ended negotiations Oct. 10 before the developers could present a revised lease after receiving public input at a Sept. 30 meeting, Zona said.
“We didn’t give that company a chance to send us another option,” Zona said.
The developers want to build multipurpose athletic fields — at least one in the first five years — concession stands, restrooms and an indoor soccer training academy that would be operated by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds professional soccer team.
While he is in favor of a sports complex, Gray said he did not believe it should be built on township property with North Huntingdon as the landlord of a private business.
Other developers might be interested in the property, Hempel said.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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