NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. — The developer of a potential multi-sport complex proposed in North Huntingdon Township tells Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek he is now looking elsewhere to build the facility.
That comes after a surprise vote earlier this week where township commissioners voted 4-3 to end drafting a lease for the proposed multi-sport complex on township property. It’s the second time commissioners have reversed course.
Commission Vice President Eric Gass initially supported the proposal but changed his stance.
“I would have to say that 90% plus of the people in the township want a sports complex,” Gass said. “We all do. As a matter of fact, even the people who are advocating against it want it, they just don’t like it at the location it’s going to be at.”
The proposed location would be on 42 acres of land next to the township’s Public Works Department off of Route 30. Some neighbors were concerned about noise and traffic.
But Gass said it was more than that.
He said there were concerns with safety because of the public works trucks going in and out — and said a home builder said the land was “unbuildable.”
“The terrain really isn’t that great,” Gass said. “We are unfortunately, in North Huntingdon, running out of room where we can put anything. It’s a shame we didn’t think about this maybe 50-70 years ago. Now, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to jam it in somewhere.”
There were also previous concerns by Commissioner Richard Gray about the lease.
“I’m not giving up public land for private profit,” he told Channel 11 in October.
In October, the township was looking at leasing the land for $1 per year for 29 years, with the possibly to extend that three additional times for 116 total years.
The developers would have been on the hook for development and upkeep costs. Talks stopped, and then started back up again a month later to rework the lease, which has now also been stopped.
Commission President Jason Atwood was one of the three who voted to keep drafting the new lease.
“I am sad for the thousands of our community’s families with kids that will miss out on this opportunity because this was met with closed mindedness from the very beginning,” Atwood said in a statement to Havranek.
Gass said if this could happen on private land instead, it could be a great thing.
“I don’t know where we’re going to go from here,” Gass said. “I really really don’t.”
Josh Zugai, the developer of the proposed complex also sent a statement to Havranek Friday afternoon.
“It’s unfortunate that a very small minority can hold the entire township hostage,” Zugai said. “This kind of investment doesn’t come very often. We wish the township all the best with their future housing developments.”
The township has not announced any plans for that land, housing or otherwise.
Zugai didn’t say where he and his business partner are looking for a potential new spot for the sports complex, but said they were meeting and evaluating other sites out of North Huntingdon.
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