CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Charleston business owners say a plan to build a multi-million dollar indoor sports complex at the Town Center Mall is restoring hope in the local economy.
“Business owners like myself have more faith in the economy and in the area to start businesses or to invest in their businesses because so many people are coming through,” said Adam Arthur, owner of The Football Factory, a youth soccer training facility in downtown Charleston.
Arthur told MetroNews the Capital Sports Center, an $80 million investment announced Wednesday by the City of Charleston and Kanawha County Commission, would benefit all kinds of athletes. The kids he trains for soccer are also interested in other sports.
“Lots of soccer kids play basketball. Lots of soccer kids want to swim. It’s going to be a place that they can go to for other sports, which is always good for athletes to do multiple sports,” Arthur said. He also serves as the executive director of FC Alliance, a soccer club in West Virginia.
The 247,000-square-foot facility will be built on multiple levels of the former Macy’s location and will include 12 volleyball courts, six basketball courts, two wrestling mats, eight pickle ball courts, a fitness center, a turf soccer field, a running track, a swimming pool, a rock-climbing wall and a main gymnasium.
With the success of the Shawnee Sports Complex in Dunbar, Arthur said it was only fitting to have a single indoor facility to host large regional and national events for all sports. Shawnee is an outdoor facility catered to youth soccer. It opened in 2018.
“I’m happy about this because the Shawnee Sports Complex is very much a soccer place,” he said. “They looked at Shawnee and said ‘if we can do it in soccer, let’s do it in four or five other sports.'”
.@charlestoncity and @kanawhaus have announced a multi-million dollar project that would turn the former Macy's store in the Town Center Mall and Lee Street parking garage into an indoor sports complex. @BenSalango discusses this w/@HoppyKercheval. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/tUOYq0Vrrg
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) August 25, 2022
Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango championed the Shawnee project. He said during Wednesday’s announcement, the Capital Sports Center will be more geared toward the general public with the opportunity to buy a monthly membership.
Three floors of the mall’s Parking Garage B would be demolished and the complex will be built above it.
Speaking about the project on Thursday’s MetroNews “Talkline,” Salango said the increased foot traffic will keep downtown businesses thriving including the mall.
“I mean we’re talking about putting hundreds if not thousands of people inside that mall every single day and tens of thousands on the weekend,” Salango said. “When we host large tournaments, we’re going to sell out hotels throughout the valley from Huntington all the way to Beckley. That’s what we’ve seen with Shawnee.”
Restaurants and bars will also see an immediate impact, Salango said.
“We don’t even have a shovel in the ground and I’ve already got restaurants reaching out, businesses reaching out and hotels are calling,” he said. “Restaurants are asking what space is available at the mall.”
The Capital Sports Center is part of Charleston Mayo Amy Shuler Goodwin’s overall revitalization plan to beautify downtown Charleston and generate tourism. Earlier this year, the city opened its newest outdoor venue Slack Plaza and the reconstructed Kanawha County Public Library Main Branch.
Salango said the money will come from private partnerships and a possible bond issue to pay for the rest.
“If you look at the Clay Center, if you look at the remodeling of the library, that was all done with private funding. There is a lot of interest from not just companies, but also citizens in revitalizing Charleston and Kanawha County,” he said.
Companies will also be able to showcase their logos in the new sports facility, Salango said.
“Everything in that facility can be branded. Every basketball court will have a corporate logo on it. There’s so much opportunity for corporate partnerships,” he said.
Salango said public hearings will be held in the next month with construction drawings due in the next 6-9 months. The project could take more than two years to complete.
Hull Property Group, LLC, the manager of the Charleston Town Center Mall, released a statement Thursday in support of the proposal.
The statement said the plan is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” and that it will “amplify the future successes of Charleston, its citizens, and property owners.”
The Georgia-based real estate developer purchased the mall more than a year ago for $7.5 million.
The former Macy’s building and parking garage are both owned by the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority (CURA), not the mall.