Commission recommends Champions Hall commercial recreation use at I‑94 logistics building; asks for color standard on exposed roof structure

The Woodbury City Planning Commission on Oct. 20 recommended approval of a conditional use permit for Champions Hall, a proposed commercial recreation complex to occupy part of the large industrial building at 11435 Hudson Road, and added a condition that staff review and approve a color selection for exposed structural joists proposed as part of the conversion.

City staff told commissioners that Arco Murray submitted the application to allow a roughly 238,000‑square‑foot commercial recreation use within the existing 475,000‑square‑foot I‑94 logistics building. The applicant proposes to convert roughly half of the building to indoor sports — with turf fields, volleyball/basketball courts and multipurpose training areas — and to retain a portion of the building for future tenants. Staff described the proposal as consistent with the city’s goal to diversify uses in the Northeast area and noted that similar conversions have appeared elsewhere as large “big‑box” or industrial footprints are adapted for commercial recreation.

Lacho Kostadinov, a Woodbury resident and representative for Champions Hall, said the project team anticipates substantial investment and community demand and estimated an approximately $8 million investment in improvements. Kostadinov said Champions Hall would aim to host soccer, lacrosse and volleyball training and events and provide multiuse turf and court space for local clubs and programming.

Staff explained the site includes a large existing parking field built for heavier warehouse demands; the project proposes about 324 vehicle parking stalls in the northern field. Staff said the applicant plans to stagger practice and event times to spread peak parking demand and that a traffic study concluded no additional roadway improvements are required based on the projected trip generation and the site’s access points (primary access from Hudson Road and a secondary signalized access shared with an adjacent development).

A key technical element discussed at length was how the applicant will open interior spaces by reducing or removing interior columns and spanning the roof with a new joist/truss system. Commissioners and staff said structural engineers will be required to design and sign off on the system, and building inspection staff told the commission that the approach appears feasible subject to engineering review and code compliance including snow and wind load calculations. Multiple commissioners raised aesthetic and maintenance concerns about exposed steel joists and roof structure; the commission added a condition that the applicant and staff agree on an appropriate color/finish and a maintenance commitment to prevent flaking paint or rust becoming a long‑term appearance or maintenance problem.

Commissioners also discussed potential future uses of the southern half of the building and interior barriers between the Champions Hall area and the remainder of the building; staff said interior gates/barriers would be installed before issuance of a certificate of occupancy for the Champions Hall area if future tenants require separation. Staff noted the building’s southern portion could be occupied later by smaller tenants, including industrial or warehousing uses, and the city will enforce the CUP conditions at the building‑permit stage for any future tenant.

After the discussion the commission voted to recommend approval with the added color/maintenance condition for the new joists and the existing conditions in the staff resolution. The item will proceed to the City Council public hearing on Oct. 22.