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Rowdies' Soccer Stadium Plans Raise Ruckus At Meeting

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By B.C. MANION | The Tampa Tribune,

Published: October 21, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - In a meeting Tuesday night that turned rowdy at times, residents living near a proposed professional soccer stadium raised concerns about potential traffic congestion, excessive noise and light pollution.

A team of investors wants to build a stadium with 5,000 seats and eventually expand it to about 10,000. The privately funded stadium would become the home to a team called the Rowdies, the same name used for a previous professional soccer team here.

The stadium is proposed for 15.7 acres at the southwest corner of Waters Avenue and Benjamin Road. There's also potential for a restaurant or pub and a retail complex at the site.

Two of the investors – David Laxer and Andrew Nestor – came to the community meeting to listen to the community's concerns. Nestor explained the planned uses. Their attorney, Vin Marchetti, and a team of experts explained the zoning aspects of the project and took questions.

Residents packed Morgan Woods Recreation Center at the meeting, which lasted about two hours.
Twelve Oaks residents are concerned that Barry Road, which runs through their neighborhood, will become a popular cut-through for people going or coming to matches.

One resident suggested designing the stadium's two driveways on Benjamin Road to allow cars to enter only from the right and to exit only to left. That would force the traffic to come from and go to Waters Avenue, reducing potential cut-through traffic in Twelve Oaks.

Marchetti said his clients are willing to consider that.

Another resident voiced concerns about the safety of pedestrians who would be crossing Waters Avenue to get to the stadium.

Stadium plans call for 800 on-site parking spots, with other spaces available at business parks on Waters.

League games draw an average of 3,000 spectators, said Andrew Nestor, one of the investors.

Marchetti said the traffic safety plan would include provisions to protect pedestrians. It also could address ways to prevent cut-through issue on Barry Road, he said.

Other residents complained that bright lights will shine from the stadium late at night.

One solution would be to put the lights on timers, a resident suggested.

Marchetti said his clients also are willing to consider that.

Besides professional soccer games, the stadium is also a likely venue for college and high school soccer championships, Nestor said. It also could be a venue for some small concerts, too, he said.

The notion of banning concerts as a condition of approval was raised, but Marchetti wouldn't agree to that. He said the meeting was to discuss the proposed rezoning, not his client's business plans.

A rezoning hearing on the request is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Frederick B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.

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