 |
 |
| NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS |
| Thursday Jan 3, 2008 By Michelle Laczkoski/Daily News staff Westwood firm's plan for sports complex to be presented tonight A proposal to build a premium 55-acre sports complex on a portion of EMC's Maple Street property in Bellingham will be presented before the Zoning Board of Appeals tonight. LIG Development Co. of Westwood has purchased the 144-acre site for $10.8 million, said Ted Doyle, director of marketing and business development. The plan for an indoor/outdoor sports facility named BCL Premier Sports includes two indoor soccer fields, three indoor basketball courts and six outdoor soccer fields. "We saw the need to build a high-end facility of this type," said Doyle, describing the technologically savvy building plan equipped with a wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, accessible lounge and restaurant and state-of-the-art multipurpose fields. He anticipates schools, youth and adult sports leagues will use the facility, if approved. Computer storage giant EMC's plans to convert the land on the corner of Maple and High streets into 10 industrial parcels was approved by the Planning Board in April. With EMC's plan in place, Doyle said LIG Development is looking at the site "with fresh eyes." The sports complex would take up six of the 10 parcels, a "far less intense use of the site," he said. The Zoning Board of Appeals must first grant three special permits before LIG Development proceeds with its project. Tonight's meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., will consider issuing permits for outdoor commercial recreation use, light and glare and building height. LIG Development also intends to preserve about 60 percent of the site for open space, not including the fields or parking lot. The company has already met with neighbors to address concerns and answer questions, Doyle said. "The general sense was people appreciated the fact that we want to use the space for recreation purposes," he said. Doyle said their plan also eliminates a proposed horseshoe-shaped secondary access road attached to both ends of Maple Street. "It will not impact High Street as much," he said. LIG Development is pursuing similar projects in Bridgewater, North Andover and Watertown, Doyle said. |
 |
| BACK TO NEWS |
|
| BACK TO NEWS |
 |