Is sports dome finally coming to Somersworth? City, developers hopeful delays are over
SOMERSWORTH — The much-anticipated sports dome project may have taken a major step forward after years of delays.
The city will stand behind the developers of New England Sports Hub and Events LLC after they came to the city Planning Board Wednesday night asking for an amendment that will remove the New Hampshire Department of Transportation's involvement from its plan. The issue with the DOT involves the intersection of Route 108 and Willand Drive. The dome would be located behind the Hilltop Fun Center.
City officials and developers are now optimistic construction could begin in late summer/early fall. The 135,000-square-foot climate-controlled inflatable dome's plan includes turf fields and facilities for multiple sports. It is expected to be used by youth teams of all ages and community members.
City Manager Bob Belmore, who sits on the Planning Board, made the motion to accept the plan change, but said the developers still need to inform NHDOT officials.
"We will do that," said James Ball, representing developer Craig Riotto. "We felt we should come here first and ask the city to stand behind us on this. We wanted to be in a better position of strength."
NHDOT will need to accept the application withdrawal, officials said.
Jennifer Lane, a spokesperson for the NHDOT, explained.
"An applicant can withdraw their application for a driveway permit at any point in the process," Lane said. "They would then need to reapply and obtain a permit prior to gaining legal access to the state highway."
The project does sit on Route 108, a state highway.
"It is our understanding that the NHDOT District office is currently waiting on information from the applicant or their engineer, related to the roadway improvements required for the permit and needed to mitigate traffic generated by the development," said Lane.
Ball said the NHDOT is backed up in its work, partly due to staffing issues, with this project being delayed for that reason. Also, he said, Route 108 is part of the state's 10-year plan and he feels the work at that intersection (Route 108 and Willand Drive) will eventually be done by the state anyway, possibly doing over any road improvements the city and sports dome developers make in the meantime.
"Our engineers call this a waste of money plan," said principal developer Craig Riotto. "We are handcuffed by this, and we are looking to resolve it."
Sports dome developers told the Planning Board the project has been held up for three years awaiting a NHDOT driveway permit with associated improvements to Route 108 and Willand Drive.
Ball pointed out plans for the dome had been approved in June 2021, with four extensions already granted. He said the NHDOT permit is the reason they haven't been able to build the dome. So, he offered a solution.
"This has dragged on too long," said Ball. "That's why we're here. We are not changing the original plan in any way, other than to fix this problem."
What inflatable sports dome plans to offer in Somersworth
The site plan application for 165 Route 108 was originally submitted to the city in 2021. Proposed by New England Sports Hub, The Sports Hub Athletic Dome proposes to construct a dome that would be 250 feet wide and 540 feet in length. Its inflated height is expected to 98 feet with several athletic fields and amenities for hosting sports leagues, tournaments, training camps and special events.
The lot size totals 14.25 acres, with about 6 acres used by the Hilltop Fun Center, which has go-karts, mini-golf, batting cages and an arcade and will remain in place. The remaining 8-plus acres behind Hilltop Fun Center is the planned sports dome site.
City and sports dome developers reach agreement
Developers will give the city $20,774, money it can hold for any future costs the city might incur when the state does the roadwork, according to the agreement. The money must be in place prior to a certificate of occupancy being issued.
Wednesday's change will allow the sports dome project to get started because removing it from the state permitting process allows the city and the developer to work together again, according to city officials and the developers.
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Attorney Philip Hastings, representing the developers, said this is the idea they came up with to end the roadblock.
"If the board has other ideas on how we can move forward, we will listen," said Hastings. "We want to fix this holdup."
Planning Board members were sympathetic and expressed their support.
"It's a tough spot you're in," said board member Jason Barry. "No one wants this to succeed more than I do. I say strike the language."
Barry did ask the declaration be made in writing, and new, updated drawings be created to reflect the change.
"We all want this and the DOT is the stumbling block," said Planning Board member Mark Richardson.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth sports dome developers hopeful to build in 2024
