The Cincinnati firm said it wants to open an 82,000-square-foot, indoor/outdoor facility by Oct. 1, 2019. And Tuesday night West Carrollton City Council approved legislation to sell it the land for $280,000.
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The project, officials said, could eventually add 50 jobs and attract 300 to 500 people a night to now vacant land where Fraser Paper once stood.
Spike-It wants “to be moving dirt as soon as possible,” said West Carrollton Economic Development Director Mike Lucking “So I would look for them to be on that site by March … in order to hit their October opening date.”
Spike-It officials said they sought for years to find the right spot in the Dayton area to build a facility, which will be much larger than its current one in Clermont County.
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“This is a big venture for us,” Spike-It co-owner Jack Betts told city officials. “Our facility in Cincinnati, the volleyball is half the size of what we’re building here … we’re here for the long term.
“We spent three years looking for this opportunity and looking for the right land. We want to be part of the community.”
The city has been looking to redevelop the former Fraser site since it was demolished three years ago. Officials said they are confident the facility – which will include 17 courts and 350 parking spaces — will be an attraction for the Dayton area.
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“I felt from the very beginning that this was going to just work out,” West Carrollton City Councilwoman Amanda Zennie said.
“Obviously there’s always concerns when something new comes in: ‘What’s it going to be like? And how’s it going to affect traffic?’ and other things,” she added. “But we really have done our homework on this and I really feel confident that it’s going to be great for everybody.”
Initially, the complex would employ 30 to 40 workers, increasing to 50 at peak times, according to the city.
The indoor facility would include 44,000 square feet, nine sand courts, a restaurant and bar, heat, fans, and 20 large garage doors to regulate the air flow, officials said.
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Outdoor facilities would feature eight sand courts, showers, restrooms, a bar with food service and a 36-foot wide deck, officials said.
The city aims to address infrastructure improvements along the Central Avenue corridor, including streetscape and intersection improvements, on-street parking and a bike path.
The land contract calls for a one-year moratorium on the city’s sale of any acreage to another business that operates in the food or beverage industry, according to West Carrollton officials.
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