New Life For Sports East Project Possibly Coming Soon

PECONIC, NY — After years pleading by residents for the proposed Sports East facility to be built, the long-held dream for the recreation center, including an indoor pool, may soon become a reality.

At Tuesday's town board work session, Southold Town Attorney Bill Duffy said after a request for proposals, one bid had come in to the town for a recreational facility to be sited on Carroll Avenue in Peconic. The town did not identify who had submitted the bid, but Paul Pawlowski, developer for Sports East, confirmed that the bid was from Sports East partners.

The plans, Duffy said, are for a mainly indoor facility that would include an indoor pool, tennis court, pickleball courts, volleyball courts, batting cages, a basketball court, fitness rooms, and individual fitness rooms for classes, including yoga, exercise and spin classes, that would be rented to local instructors in the community.

The proposed building would be 82,500 sq. feet on the parcel, which is just over 10 acres. The plans meet all the requirements of the town's recently adopted overly recreation zone, Duffy said. No variances would be needed to move the plan forward, he added.

"The partners of Sports East are very excited to potentially seeing the recreational facility potentially be a reality for our community," Pawlowski told Patch Tuesday. "It’s needed and we have the energy and ability to get this done if approved."

Next steps, Duffy said, would be for the town board to accept the RFP, negotiate terms, then move forward in regard to the conceptual plans.

Duffy explained that with a "tight time frame" on the table, the building could be constructed within the year, something that was possible because the facility had already been pitched in the past for a site in Mattituck and an engineer was in place.

The town adopted a bond resolution on March 14, 2018 authorizing the acquisition of a parcel of vacant real property located at 1080 Carroll Avenue, Peconic, stating an estimated maximum cost of $750,000 and authorizing the issuance of bonds in the amount of $750,000 to finance that appropriation.

The vacant parcel is approximately 10.4 acres; the site is located near the town's other recreational facilities including ball fields and tennis courts.

"The property is located right in the center of Southold's recreational hub. That whole area has become the focal point of all of the town's sports and recreational facilities. Having an indoor facility should be an important part of Southold's long-term recreational goals," Russell said.

The supervisor had said that even if the Sports East facility was not sited there, the property would be an ideal addition to the town's inventory.

"The parcel is in an excellent location for an indoor facility like the proposal for Sports East," he said last year.

Pawlowski was optimistic last year: "We think the parcel can work and we looking forward to make this become a reality. The town board has to go through their procedures and once they are done we hope to move forward with next steps. Until then, we cannot start the planning process."

In January, 2018 news broke that it may be a happy ending for scores of North Fork residents who wanted desperately to see their dream of Sports East become a reality.

Russell said that he'd recently signed a contract for the property, which the board said could be an excellent site for the location of Sports East. Russell said he'd met with developer Pawlowski, "who thinks the property would be a good location, too," he said.

After months of deliberation, in September, 2017, the Southold Town zoning board of appeals rendered a decision on Sports East, upholding a notice of disapproval and putting the brakes on the plan for the facility in Mattituck, a decision that sparked a public outcry from the scores who said they believed the town desperately needs a sport facility and indoor pool.

Russell spoke out in September, 2017 about the Sports East proposal — and said if the zoning board of appeals failed to rule in favor of the project moving forward, he'd consider a land swap or other alternatives to keep the plan for a recreational facility, one which he says has his "unequivocal support," in Southold Town.

The problem that had existed involved whether the facility would be allowed on residential zoning. At the former proposed site, a membership club would be allowed, while a recreational facility would not.

"Zoning is not a popularity contest," Russell said.

No variances are needed at the current site proposed in Peconic.

A crowd turned out in August, 2017 to speak out on an application for the proposed Sports East facility — with many residents imploring zoning board of appeals to green light the plan, and saying it's critically needed.

Others expressed concerns that the intended use was not appropriate for Main Road in Mattituck.
Most recently, the application was back before the town with a new addition to the plan — a proposed second, outdoor swimming pool was pitched.

Russell has said he supported Pawlowski's plan to build Sports East "100 percent;" Southold, he said desperately needed the facility..

"The issue has always been the location. Not the developer. Not the proposal," Russell said in 2017. "It was a zoning issue."