Field House of Dreams/Concerns

Residents will have a chance to share their views on the field house that is a big part of Sustainable Playland’s restoration plan at a public information session at the Rye Free Reading Room, December 11 from 7 to 9 p.m.

By Robin Jovanovich

Residents will have a chance to share their views on the field house that is a big part of Sustainable Playland’s restoration plan at a public information session at the Rye Free Reading Room, December 11 from 7 to 9 p.m.

With a great deal of misinformation about the plan being bandied about and the fact that neighbors of the park have concerns about the impact of a 95,000 square-foot field house adjacent to the maintenance buildings in the parking lot, a presentation of the facts seemed in order.

In a conference call this week with Playland Sports partners John Abate and Eric DeGraw, and Norm Gill of Pinnacle Indoor Sports, an operating partner of Playland Sports, we asked about the building footprint and height, quality of life issues for the neighbors, and FEMA regulations. 

“In designing the field house, we always had the neighbors in mind,” said Gill. “The height of the building, at 35 feet, is shorter than the maintenance buildings.” Abate added, “We haven’t affected the site lines that way.”

According to Gill, the field house is a “scheduled base operation,” so there will be no surge in numbers. “It’s not a spectator-oriented operation, but a dedicated sports space.”

Of the proposed 95,000 square feet, 65,000 square feet is athletic surfaces for everything from league soccer and flag football to yoga.

In their original submission, “as a space holder,” the facility was 78,000 square feet. However, the footprint ended up being 33 percent smaller than the in the original submission.

The proposed facility actually increases the amount of pervious surface by 3.4 acres, according to Gill.

While the hours of operation are “not set in stone,” the group assures the community that there will be “no 2 a.m. ruckus.”

The proposed lighting is new technology and the lights will only stay on until the customers leave, unlike current Playland lighting, which remains on all night. Playland Sports has conducted studies to measure noise impact and Gill says they show levels well below Rye’s municipal ordinance.

Under post-Sandy FEMA regulations, all residential buildings must be raised above the flood plain, but not commercial properties. “We will design the field house to be water tight,” said Gill.

Residents are encouraged to attend the December 11 information session.