A path to professional soccer in the Fort Wayne area may require looking west.
On Tuesday, BND Commercial LLC filed a rezoning application for a project called the Bass Road Multipurpose Soccer Complex on 32 acres of land on the west side of Allen County off Bass Road, across from Buckner Park and adjacent to the southeast side. Interstate 69.
The plans include a soccer field with a capacity of 7,500 people and four luxury suites. The proposed site is currently zoned as Business, Technology, and Industrial, and BND Commercial is requesting a rezoning to General Commercial to meet the playground zoning requirements.
Ruoff Mortgage had previously planned to build its headquarters on the same site. Mark Musick, president and CEO of Ruoff, is also the principal owner of the Fort Wayne Football Club as he begins his fourth season in USL League 2 on May 18th.
The Fort Wayne Football Club has signed a two-year contract with a third-year option to host home games in January 2023 at Bishop Darcy Stadium on the campus of Saint Francis University. – Installed an art scoreboard and built six private suites in Darcy.
Asked about the possibility of a new stadium, Fort Wayne FC Director of Club Operations Laurie Pelorio-Bringer said the organization said, “BND filed the penalty on behalf of 6411 Bath Road LLC, so all The BND is pending inquiries from the media.”
BND Development partner Todd Ramsey said Fort Wayne FC would be a “great” tenant for the soccer stadium project, but “the facility would need to be full every day of the year.” Ramsey said if the rezoning application is approved, it will have the facilities to host all levels of soccer, from youth to professional, as well as field hockey. Two softball fields could also be included, he added.
The Allen County Planning Commission is scheduled to hear public opinion at a public hearing April 11th at 1:00 p.m. at Civic Plaza on E. Berry Street, and 200 commission members will attend a public hearing April 18th at 1:00 p.m. The proposal will be discussed and acted upon at a business meeting.
BND Commercial previously built SportOne Parkview Fieldhouse and SportOne Parkview IceHouse, two multipurpose facilities on Fort Wayne's northeast side. The Fieldhouse has an indoor volleyball court, an outdoor sand volleyball court, a basketball court, and the Icehouse offers several ice skating and hockey programs.
The city announced plans in 2021 for a complex that would include a soccer stadium, hotel and affordable housing. These plans were put on hold due to supply chain issues and labor shortages at the time.
The downtown soccer stadium was built in October by DOMO Development as part of a $1.5 billion riverfront development filed in October. This is one of nine proposals the city has received for a 60-acre riverfront development anchored by the former Pepsi bottling facility.
Both proposals included plans for a 5,000-seat outdoor soccer stadium, and the 2023 proposal included a 5,000-seat arena.