Windsor Locks PZC OKs sports complex development

Windsor Locks' Planning and Zoning Commission members unanimously approved the All Sports Village development Wednesday during a special meeting dedicated only to the project and spanning about five hours.

The meeting held via Zoom teleconferencing resulted in numerous technical plan revision requirements and two procedural conditions. The commission passed the project on a 5-0 vote.

According to site plans submitted in mid-August to the Planning and Zoning Commission, the sports complex will offer 20 basketball courts, which can be converted to volleyball courts, in a 220,800-square-foot building. There also will be eight outdoor turf fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and flag football.

Plans show that the principal developer, Andrew Borgia of JABS Sports Management, also proposed an outdoor championship turf field seating 3,500 people, plus an indoor field and sports training facility.

Developers hope the complex will host national tournaments in multiple sports. Plans say tournaments will be for teams that qualify to enter a major event sponsored by national organizations, such as AAU, Zero Gravity, U.S. Soccer, and U.S. Lacrosse. An estimated eight to 10 teams per state will be represented in the national tournaments.

The proposed site of the development is the northeast corner of Old County Road and Route 20, as well as a portion of 327 S. Center St.

Planned amenities include a family entertainment center, a medical/physical therapy unit, retail areas, restaurants, and two 150-room hotels.

The commission’s approval of the site plan is the final step in the land-use approval process. The general plan of development already has been approved, and the project has received a wetlands permit.

Torrington school proposal gets a forum

Lance Reynolds  TORRINGTON – City residents will have the opportunity to learn more about the proposed $74.6 million Torrington Middle/High School building project in a public forum Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The Board of Education will present the proposed project and answer questions from residents. If residents would like to submit questions ahead of the meeting, they can do so by emailing buildingproject@torrington.org.

The public forum will be the first of three scheduled before the Nov. 3 referendum, in which city taxpayers will vote on the construction of the proposed $74.6 million building.

“Originally, we were anticipating that the Board of Ed, administration, and the architects would be conducting these public forums to provide information to the public,” said school board chairwoman Fiona Cappabianca. “However, the administration is not actually legally allowed to participate in any of these forums.”

Seventh- and eighth-graders from Torrington Middle School will be brought to the new school building at 50 Major Besse Drive, the current site of Torrington High School, if approved at referendum. Central offices, currently located at 355 Migeon Ave., would also be part of the new building.

The total project would cost $159.6 million. But with an $85 million state reimbursement, city taxpayers would face a $74.6 million cost.

If the referendum fails, maintenance updates at the current Torrington High School would cost $112.2 million. A $33.9 million state reimbursement would bring that cost down to $78.3 million. Cappabianca said project architects from Kaestle Boos Associates, a New Britain-based architectural firm that has worked with the school board on the project, will also be on hand Tuesday to answer questions from residents.

The public forum will be hosted over Zoom and can be accessed online via https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84409388879?pwd=MEFnMUhWd2RRTEl3UmdyZkZxUkwvUT09 and passcode: 904663. Residents can also dial +1 312-626-6799, using webinar id: 844 0938 8879.