Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gold Crown Field House topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council authorizes nonbinding LOI for Gold Crown field house on Dawson Trails land
Summary
Town Council unanimously authorized the mayor to enter a nonbinding letter of intent to negotiate for 12 acres of Dawson Trails public land for a proposed 65,000-square-foot Gold Crown field house; any transfer or lease and funding will require later council approval.
The Town Council unanimously authorized the mayor to sign a nonbinding letter of intent (LOI) with the Gold Crown Foundation to begin good-faith negotiations for approximately 12 acres of public land in the Dawson Trails development for a proposed 65,000-square-foot indoor field house.
Gold Crown’s executive director, Kevin Petty, told council the foundation expects the facility to cost about $35 million, including up to $5 million attributable to land value, and that the Foundation is already pursuing private funders and a capital campaign. The foundation told council it hopes to secure roughly one-third of funding through public sources (not from the town alone), one-third via a major private funder and the remainder through its own fundraising. The organization requested consideration of town land dedication in advance of final fundraising commitments so it can proceed with a capital campaign.
Petty said the facility would offer six high-school basketball courts (12 overlapping volleyball courts), STEM/enrichment space, adaptive/special-needs programming and an outdoor turf field if funding allows. Gold Crown presented a third-party market study suggesting annual attendance of roughly 500,000 visits and estimated yearly local economic impact between $14 million and $19 million from tournaments and events.
Councilmember Brooks moved to authorize the mayor to sign the nonbinding LOI; the motion passed 7–0. Staff and Gold Crown emphasized the LOI does not commit the town to a lease or transfer; any lease, transfer, or town-funded subsidy will return to council for approval. Staff noted Douglas County’s parks advisory board has reviewed a county funding request from Gold Crown and that county commissioners will consider any county funding separately.
Why it matters: a field house of this scale would be the largest indoor youth-sports facility in the area, drawing regional users and generating substantial traffic and economic activity. Council emphasized the need to preserve options for local partnerships, competitive bidding and community input before any land transfer or funding commitment.
What happens next: staff will begin good-faith negotiations subject to future council approvals; Gold Crown will continue fundraising and report back to the council on capital progress.
