We need to talk about the proposed sports complex that City Hall is touting will be built on Olson Drive here in Ansonia. This sports complex, proposed by Primrose, has a lot of speculation surrounding it, and it is in the best interest of residents to understand what the facts are of this project.
For starters, the land that this complex is proposed to be built on isn’t even owned yet by the City of Ansonia. While there are current negotiations with HUD, the current owners of the land, the City of Ansonia is expected to pay $500,000 for this land, which is the fair market value according to appraisal. The city will then sell the property to the developer for just half that price, at $250,000. This is already a $250,000 loss to Ansonia.
But things get worse. As this project’s negotiations currently stand, the developers are requesting a tax abatement plan from the city, meaning that the city won’t be collecting taxes on this property for years. So not only is this property being sold at a loss of a quarter million dollars, the city also won’t be collecting taxes on this property.
As for the complex itself, Primrose has made it abundantly clear that this will be a private facility. This means that its amenities, the 49,000 square-foot “all sports” training building, the 39,000 square-foot indoor soccer facility, and the FIFA regulation sized soccer field, won’t be able to be used by the general public. Make no mistake, this development is nothing more than a business that is receiving a property for half of what the city is going to pay for it, followed by years, if not decades, of tax abatement. This is not a public service.
In a recent survey I conducted, residents were asked what they would want to see developed on the Olsen Drive property. Nearly 59% of residents that took the survey answered they wanted to see a park, a splash pad for kids, a green space, a public recreational facility, or a local place for bands and artists to be able to perform. A majority of residents do not want this complex, and the Valley Indy’s poll is showing the same.
This space is large enough to accommodate all of these amazing suggestions. With Main Street just a walk of the bridge away, it makes sense that City Hall would want to listen to these ideas, as this could bring many people to our town and increase the patronage of our many restaurants on Main Street.
No matter which way you look at this development, the bottom-line is that a majority of Ansonia residents do not want it, won’t utilize it, or simply can’t afford it. Combine that with the huge financial loss to the city from the initial sale of the property, to the potential decades of tax abatement, and you’re left with residents scratching their heads as to why the Cassetti administration is pushing so hard for this project to be completed. We can only speculate as to the backroom dealings involved between the developer and the Cassetti administration, but the fact of the matter is the city, nor our residents, benefit at all from this development. City Hall needs to listen.
BRIAN PERKINS
The writer is an Ansonia resident.
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