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SGF Sports is planning a $10 million-$12 million development in northwest Springfield.
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SGF Sports is planning a $10 million-$12 million development in northwest Springfield.

Council prepares infrastructure funding for sports complex

Posted online

Springfield City Council is finalizing an infrastructure reimbursement agreement for a planned youth sports complex on the northwest side.

The agreement with developer SGF Sports LLC would commit the city to reimbursing up to $2.1 million for public infrastructure improvements at the site located just west of Deer Lake Golf Course. Council is set to vote on the agreement at its March 8 meeting.

SGF Sports is registered to Tulsa, Oklahoma, developer Rob Phillips of Philcrest Properties, according to Oklahoma secretary of state records. Project architect Rob Haik, principal with H Design Group LLC, previously told council Phillips plans to invest $10 million-$12 million on the project. Phillips owns 120 acres next to Deer Lake, Haik said.

During council’s Feb. 22 meeting, Springfield Economic Development Director Sarah Kerner said the city would reimburse up to $2 million for the improvements and up to $100,000 for interest costs if the agreement was approved.

The youth athletic complex was brought before council last year with a proposed budget between $15 million and $20 million. Council passed a resolution in November signaling intent to help the developer with funding public improvements and directed staff to submit a development agreement.

The complex’s design calls for 12 soccer fields, including one turf championship field, outdoor seating for 1,500 spectators and a 90,000-square-foot indoor complex. The indoor center would have two soccer fields and four basketball courts that can convert into eight volleyball courts.

The developer must build all of those elements, as well as permanent lighting for the outdoor fields and a parking lot with at least 720 spaces, to receive the reimbursement funding, according to city documents.

Reimbursable public infrastructure improvements include off-site road/sidewalk improvements, on- and off-site sanitary, water and gas main extensions, a regional retention basin and associated design, fees, permitting and contingency expenses.

The proposed agreement requires city and developer to establish a community improvement district for the area, including a proposed site for future retail and hotel development. A 1-cent sales tax would be imposed to reimburse the city for its expenses.

To meet its obligations in the agreement, the developer must construct the public improvements, handle the annexation and land use process for the site, cooperate in establishment of the CID and obtain written approval from the Springfield city manager before making any changes to the development plan, according to city documents.

The project, including public infrastructure and the private development, must be completed by March 31, 2024, or the agreement will terminate. The reimbursement would be paid after full completion of both elements of the project.

Businessperson and philanthropist Bobby Allison has pledged between $3 million-$3.5 million for fields and signage with naming rights, according to past Springfield Business reporting.

The property also is making its way through the city’s annexation process. At its Jan. 15 meeting, council approved an annexation and rezoning of the land to highway commercial.

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