XENIA — Big changes are coming to the Athletes in Action (AIA) campus. The Xenia Planning and Zoning Commission recently voted to approve a final development plan for construction of a 63,744 square foot indoor court sports facility and a bubble-enclosed 99,065 square foot indoor soccer/track facility at 651 Taylor Drive.
The AIA campus sits on 149.4 acres with frontage on South Detroit Street and US 35. The property contains the Athletes in Action headquarters campus, Legacy Christian Academy, dormitories, Schindler Banquet facility, Legacy Village, ropes course, athletic fields, and a radio station.
Before AIA was in operation, the former Ohio Veterans’ Children’s Home (OVCH) was located there.
AIA annually hosts more than 100,000 visitors, including athletes from around the world, regional athletic organizations, and other groups. For a long time, AIA has planned to add an indoor competition facility to complement its outdoor athletic fields.
Staff reports state the proposed Wooden Family Fieldhouse is a metal-clad building that will contain a multi-purpose sports area with space for three to six basketball courts, a wrestling competition area, team rooms, a training room, conference space, office space, and a small cafe/retail space.
After the Wooden facility is built, AIA intends to install an adjacent soccer and track field with a “bubble,” which is an inflated, pressurized fabric roof system that can be installed and removed on a seasonal basis, providing year-found functionality at an estimated cost of more than $5 million.
Designed by MSA Sport, once construction of the $24 million Wooden Family Fieldhouse and indoor facility is completed, it’s expected to draw more than 400,000 athletes to Greene County each year.
The XPZ wants to insure that the internal streets and thoroughfares proposed in the plan are suitable and adequate to accommodate the anticipated traffic within and through the development.
The final plan requires minimal modification to the existing private street system on the site. The proposed facilities will rely upon the South Detroit Street entrance. Signage on US 42 and US 68 will direct drivers to use the entrance, which has a higher traffic capacity than the Home Avenue and Union Road entrances. Visitors accessing the facility will be able to utilize either the US 42 or US 68 interchange from US 35 and access Detroit Street via Ledbetter Road or the recently extended Innovation Drive.
