Two extreme storylines competed in the Board of Supervisor’s decision on the fate of the request from the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville Albemarle (SOCA) to build a $4.5 million soccer facility on 10 acres in northern Albemarle, adding to existing fields off Polo Grounds Road.
If allowed: The insatiable appetite of County Growth will gobble up every Albemarle parcel of land.
If denied: Childhood Obesity will gobble up every kid in Albemarle County.
The specter of paradise paved trumped the effigy of diabetic videogame addicts: Supervisors voted 5 to 1 at their April 11 meeting to nix the proposal, which has been in the works for several years. All this fuss for a place to host a game played in alleyways and barren dirt patches across the world.
SOCA’s soccer mecca would have included a 34,000-square-foot indoor soccer arena, an outdoor synthetic-turf field, as well as another 5,000-square-foot ancillary building, training courts and parking. The county parks and rec department supported the idea, saying there is particularly a need for more indoor recreation.
The problem is that the site, while not far from Route 29 along the South Fork of the Rivanna River, is designated as rural area by the county’s comprehensive plan. Also, some neighbors weren’t thrilled with the prospect of loud gaggles of soccer players and field lighting disturbing the semblance of tranquility.
Planning commissioners and supervisors alike thought it best not to set a precedent of greenlighting rural development, even when it’s in the name of youth fitness. Only Lindsay Dorrier of the Scottsville District voted for SOCA’s plan.
Better buy that Sony stock—surely those Playstation 3s will now go flying off the shelf.
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