This week I’ve been talking to Bill Scott, Amesbury’s Director of Community and Economic Development about how planning is going for The Atlantic Sports Center. I’m happy to share that planning is going well and he expects the Center to break ground in the spring. The Atlantic Sports Center is going to bring new people to our City, not only for the events and tournaments that they will be putting on, but also to shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants.
As of now, many of the details have been planned, discussed and finalized. The Atlantic Sports Center has been extremely responsive to the requests made by the Planning Board for information and changes. The two main points being discussed at the moment are parking, and building a digital sign.
When it comes to parking, the number of spots required for a new building are determined by zoning policies. For a restaurant, the number of seats determines how many parking spots they’ll need. The same goes for office space, event space, etc. When you look at a mall, the zoning for each shop would require WAY more parking than they could possibly build, so they take into consideration that when someone goes to a mall, they’re probably visiting more than one store. We’re taking the same idea into consideration for the Sports Center. Someone who is there for practice might also need the personal trainer. Someone who works in the office building may also attend an event. It’s an interesting process that Amesbury has never had to go through before!
We’ve written a letter of support for the digital sign board, which will not only help the Sports Center succeed but will also draw more people to Amesbury in general. It’s an important marketing and community tool that will help all of our businesses grow and thrive. You can read that letter here.
The City is also working with The Atlantic Sports Center on a traffic study. There’s a lot of development happening right now between The Village at Bailey’s Pond housing development, Merrimack Landing condos, new solar fields, and The Heights apartments. There are so many great things happening in Amesbury, which will only make our community stronger.
So that’s the update! We’re excited to follow the progress and continue to support The Atlantic Sports Center as they make Amesbury their home. Want to learn more? The public is welcome to attend Amesbury Planning Board meetings to hear the discussion. Meetings happen on Mondays, but you should check the Planning Board calendar for which days since the holidays are coming up and dates may shift.
See the latest Powerpoint presentation below for more information on the impact The Atlantic Sports Center will have on our community!
In Business,
Kassandra
