Proposed Goal Sports Centre II in Thunder Bay delayed over zoning issue

A proposed new private indoor turf sports facility in Thunder Bay, Ont., has hit a snag in the form of the city's zoning bylaws.

The developers behind the Goal Sports Centre II had hoped to open the facility's doors by Dec. 1.

However, under its current zoning rules,the building site located on Golf Links Road only permits recreational facilities as an auxiliary use.

And while developers intend to also build a hotel at the site, city bylaws would require that to be built first, followed by the recreational facility.

Carmen Felice, the Goal Sports Centre II's manager, said an application to amend the site's zoning has been filed with the city.

"The land is zoned for a recreational facility, so basically what we're looking for is to speed up the process," Felice said.

Essentially, the goal is to get approval to build the Goal Sports Centre II immediately.

"At the end of the day, the people that are paying the biggest price in all of this is the kids," Felice said. "That's our main goal, is just to make sure that this thing goes up."

Felice said he's hopeful that the zoning issue will be dealt with quickly, and the centre can be open by early 2020.

The centre is being designed to accommodate a number of turf sports during the winter months, including soccer, football and ultimate Frisbee.