VIRGINIA BEACH — City Council is expected to approve authorizing execution of a comprehensive agreement to build the sports complex at the Oceanfront, according to council’s agenda.
MEB General Contractors is the company that will design and build the site. MEB has already performed a site evaluation for the city under an interim agreement.
The $68.1 million project, which was originally estimated to cost $40 million, increased with the addition of specialized indoor running tracks and parking in spring 2018.
Related story: Virginia Beach moves forward with sports complex at Oceanfront
Indoor sports facilities tend to attract tourists between October and May because of cold weather, so the sports complex project fits into the city’s goal of boosting year-round tourism, City Manager Dave Hansen said during the Feb. 20 City Council meeting.
The sports center will be constructed on city property close to the convention center on 19th Street, within the Oceanfront’s “central entertainment district.”
That area is a development hub for the resort area, which includes the Dome Site, convention center, and 15th Street pier.
The sports complex’s design features 195,000 square feet of programming space, 12 high school-sized hardwood basketball courts that can be converted to six collegiate-sized courts, 24 volleyball courts, and indoor running tracks, according to the interim agreement between MEB and the city.
Related story: Construction of Virginia Beach sports center could begin by fall
If city council votes to execute the comprehensive agreement, preliminary site work would begin in August, according to the comprehensive agreement. The building construction would then start in December, with a completion date of Nov. 2020.
Residents can provide feedback on the agreement by signing up to speak during the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
