Columbus' Southwest Area Commission did not vote Tuesday on plans for a training facility for the new National Women's Soccer League team, including new renderings of the facility.
A rezoning proposal for the new National Women's Soccer League team facility at McCoy Park will be considered by the commission at a future meeting, but the vote is advisory and not binding. Ultimately, approval of the plans rest with Columbus City Council.
Representatives of the Haslam Sports Group asked the commission to table the motion for a later meeting.
The Haslam Sports Group shared renderings of the facility, copies of which were sent to WOSU.
The renderings show off the nearly 30-acre site south of Greenlawn Avenue and east of Harmon Avenue. It includes three fields for community use and two full fields and a partial field for team practices.
The site also includes a two-story, 45,000 square foot training facility that includes locker rooms, a cafeteria and other facilities.
A Columbus Crew spokesperson says the outdoor grass fields feature technology to keep it heated and help mitigate moisture.
In addition to the park land, the Haslams received a total of $50 million from the city of Columbus and Franklin County. The proposal faced some pushback over the park land giveaway, but Columbus City Council ultimately agreed to the deal.
Local design firms Moody-Nolan, EMH&T and MKSK are working on the project alongside Marker Construction.
The team doesn't have a name yet, but the ownership group is soliciting suggestions from the community. The group expects the team to begin playing as soon as the 2028 season.
The ownership group is also contributing $12 million to Franklin County to address area food insecurity and early childhood education. Another $3 million will go towards creating new parks on the southwest side.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther on Monday announced the city would create a new Southwest Area Community Plan to address problems in the struggling community where one U.S. Census tract has the lowest life expectancy in Ohio.
The mayor's event was met with some protesters who oppose the park giveaway, but Ginther said he understands why there was community pushback to the National Women's Soccer League deal.
"I think it particularly stung because this community has experienced loss and neglect in systemic disinvestment for far too long, similar to the things that Linden, the Hilltop and Eastland faced as well," Ginther said.
The community plan would try to address the need for more parks and try to boost public health disparities and other issues in the area.
A groundbreaking and the start of construction is scheduled for October. Between now and then, the development team also has to go through the Columbus Development Commission and city council.
