A $30 million sports complex that will include an indoor field operated by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team will not be built on city-owned land in North Huntingdon.
Commissioners on Thursday killed off the possibility of renegotiating the lease with NHT Investment Partners LLC, a development company founded by town residents Josh Zugai and David Ponsonby.
Commissioners Fran Bevan, Tom Hempel, Rich Gray and Zachary Hagis voted in favor of ending negotiations with the developer, while Jason Atwood and Ron Zona opposed the move. did.
The resolution also blocks future discussions on the disposition of public property without a prior public vote by commissioners.
The decision drew applause from an audience of about 50 people, several of whom again spoke out against the project over concerns about nearby traffic and noise.
Neither Mr Ponsonby nor Mr Zugai attended the meeting. The company did not respond to requests for comment. A Riverhounds spokesperson also did not respond to a request for comment.
The resolution prevents a repeat of the situation in which Mr. Zugai and Mr. Ponsonby discussed with some commissioners the use of approximately 40 acres of public works land along Route 30 for a sports complex.
Developers held executive session with commissioners after North Huntingdon Youth Sports League franchise owner Shane Larkin presented plans to build a $10 million athletic facility at the same site. discussed this project.
Commissioners were scheduled to discuss the developer’s request to be given a 90-day exclusivity period to negotiate the lease. An initial 120-day period giving developers exclusive rights to negotiate leases expired on September 15th. Commissioners had previously planned to vote on the lease next week.
The resolution adopted Thursday would halt those plans.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t negotiate. We had to get rid of it before they (developers) had a chance to address those concerns,” Atwood said, raised by the public. said.
Zugai said last week that developers are considering including a ban on building access roads to adjacent properties in the proposed lease.
Opponents who live near public works land wanted that guarantee in writing.
Among other objections to the interim lease was the developer’s desire to hold the town land for 29 years at just $1 a year, with three 29-year options at the same $1 a year. In theory, the developer and his successor could control the property until 2140. The requirement for long-term leases remained in the second and third editions of the document.
By halting negotiations on another contract, Zona said last week’s four-hour meeting to gather public input was a waste of time.
Gray, who pushed for the end of negotiations, said the entire process was flawed. The developer approached them with a lease agreement they had drawn up on their own terms. North Huntingdon never voted to advertise the land’s availability, Gray added.
“I think the process was backwards from the beginning,” Haigis said.
Gass, who missed the vote, said he would have opposed ending negotiations before the developer presented an updated version of the land lease. If the town and developer couldn’t come to an agreement on that new version, Gass said he would have supported ending negotiations.
“It’s absolutely necessary,” Gass said of the sports complex.
Until Thursday, Bevan declined to say whether he supported the proposed sports complex.
“It was a bad deal for the town,” Bevan said after the meeting.
Hempel maintained his position that the town should not lease public property to private companies.
Related:
• Some oppose the proposed North Huntingdon sports complex.
• North Huntingdon sports complex developer needs to review lease.
• Complaints increase over $30 million mixed-use development plan in North Huntingdon to host Pittsburgh Riverhounds
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering the Irwin, North Huntingdon and Norwin school districts. I also write about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked for the tribe since the early 1980s. Please contact us at jnapsha@triblive.com.
