A Public Hearing On An Indoor Athletic Complex Ends Without A Vote

A proposal for an indoor athletic complex in Old Lyme came no closer to kick off at last night’s zoning commission meeting than it did last month. 

Old Lyme residents Patrick Pryor and Kasie Munson hope to create an indoor sports facility to house a National Hockey League regulation-sized ice rink and an artificial-turf playing field to give the region’s youth leagues a place to skate and play team sports such as soccer and lacrosse year-round. 

In order to build and operate it in the town’s only light industrial zone, however, they need a special use permit from the town. On the face of it, this doesn’t seem like much of a stretch. Almost every indoor sports complex in the state is located in a light industrial zone and the area they have in mind at the end of Machnik Drive is very conveniently located next to the Four Mile River Road exit for 1-95.  

Yet last night’s public hearing, a showed the proposal is still facing tough opposition from neighbors in the nearby residential zone of Chestnut Hill.

“It’s 200 feet from my property line,” said one. “To say I’m disappointed is an understatement.”

The area’s closest neighbors said they worry about traffic, about the kind of crowd hockey and soccer games might attract, and about the potential hours of operation. One local resident, a state trooper in Old Saybrook, pointed out that Old Lyme Town Police end their shift at midnight, which leaves just one state trooper on roving patrol to cover the highways and neighboring towns in addition to Old Lyme.  

“I’m concerned about public safety,” he said.  

Munson and Pryor have answers to many of these questions but, once again, they had no opportunity to go into any details. They have said, however, that they plan to hire their own security staff and want to build an indoor facility precisely because it will minimize any potential disturbance from noise or lights. They intend to have a strict policy against loitering, they said, and their plans include a snackbar, arcade games, and a fitness center to encourage people to stay inside.

“It’s a little unfortunate because they don’t understand what we’re trying to build,” said Munson. Indeed, there were comments last night about the distrubance that would be created by outdoor games and, in the previous meeting, consumption of alcohol on site, neither of which were ever a possibility.

Those In Favor

The meeting wasn’t a total replay of the one that preceded it, however, because last night more people turned out to cheer for the proposal. Supporters included a number of town residents who said they thought the indoor sports complex would be a boon to Old Lyme both recreationally and economically and a real benefit for the town’s youth.

“I understand the concerns but I think it benefits the whole area,” said an Old Lyme resident who spoke in favor of the proposal. “There are so many kids out there that love to play hockey and this provides a wonderful, safe place.”

Axel Mahlke, owner of Anytime Fitness in East Lyme who spoke in favor of the proposal, did his best to assuage some of the concerns raised by residents.

“We had this same conversation in our area, where we have town homes,” he said, adding that now Anytime Fitness is up and running, local residents have no complaints. “I have not seen any misbehavior,” he said. 

“We’re also located in an industrial zone and we’ve had none of the problems I’ve heard people speak about here,” said Roger Rose, owner of Stay and Play in Old Saybrook.

“I think it went fantastic,” said Munson. “Residents, other than those in Chestnut Hill, are in favor. We’re very excited.”

The purpose of this hearing, however, was not to evaluate the merits of the proposal. It was simply to help the commission decide whether to grant a special use permit to allow an indoor recreation facility to operate in an area that is currently zoned for light industrial use.

It’s perhaps worth noting that had Munson and Pryor been proposing a dry cleaning operation or a bus depot, there would have been no need for the hearing at all because those uses are permitted in the area. 

The Next Step and a Potential Hurdle

Now the public hearing is over, the Zoning Commission must consider whether to allow this new use and, if so, what restrictions, if any, it wants to impose. That could include but is not limited to, parking requirements, environmental abatements, buffer zones, lighting, and perhaps most importantly, hours of operation. 

The latter is shaping up to be potentially the biggest hurdle Munson and Pryor may face. Zoning Committee Chairwoman Jane Cable asked nearly every local resident who spoke what hours of operation they might consider acceptable. Nearly everyone said they would object to anything earlier than 8 a.m. and any time after 10 p.m.

Typically ice rinks open very early to accommodate skaters who need practice time and stay open late for adult leagues that often play until midnight. This isn’t just standard practice but is, in most cases, an economic necessity for the rinks to stay in business.

“I’m very concerned about the hours of operation,” said Chestnut Hill resident Eileen Mueller, who said she had surveyed the surrounding businesses and all of them keep standard office hours.

The Zoning Commission voted last night to table its discussion until the next meeting in November, when a vote on the issue is expected.