A sports mega-complex that would cost as much as $50 million and include an arena and a dozen outdoor fields is being pushed by Montgomery County's tourism agency after a new report showed its revenue-generating potential.
The facility, which would sit on nearly 100 acres if fully realized, does not have a future home, any named private investors, or enthusiasm from the county Commissioners at this point. But Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Bureau said in releasing a feasibility report Thursday that its construction would mean $100 million in new revenue for Montgomery County and local businesses.
Valley Forge CEO Mike Bowman said such a sports mecca could be built in central Montgomery County and attract national sporting events and tournaments. He also noted that the county was in the running for a national lacrosse tournament recently, but lost out because they wanted a complex that could hold all the games.
"They want bigger facilities. They want more fields. They want a 108,000-square-foot facility," Bowman told a crowd that gathered at Center Ice hockey rink in Oaks.
He later told reporters that the complex could be built using all private money or a mix of public-private funds.
Prior to the report's official release, the three members of the county's governing body expressed interest in learning more about the complex proposal. But they stopped short of endorsing the idea or any future support from the county for it.
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"The vast majority of things that get built in Montgomery County are done by private developers that don't ask us for anything," Commissioner Chairwoman Val Arkoosh said. "That's why I can't comment. It's entirely hypothetical at this point whether or not a developer would even seek our assistance in getting such a project built."
