The Columbia City Council at its meeting last Tuesday night heard a request for a special use permit to build SILO Sports Complex near Bluff and DD roads. 

Columbia resident Jason Glover, who is executive director of the St. Louis Steamers Soccer Club, described plans to create an area with two lighted, artificial turf fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, softball or baseball on the west half of the site. 

“The Steamers are part of it, but they’re not necessarily running it, and so the branding of it is universal to be open to any club and any activity,” Glover explained.

A building with concessions, office and storage space, two parking lots and three outdoor sand volleyball courts would be built on the east half. 

A future phase could include an indoor sports facility with three multi-purpose courts with an attached restaurant, he said.

Glover addressed the council as a stakeholder and representative of  private investors from Columbia, Waterloo, Red Bud and St. Louis, who were also at the meeting.

He said the idea has been a work in progress since 2015. 

Glover had approached the council with a similar plan in 2017, but that project never came to fruition.

The sports complex has received renewed interest over the past 18 months, with the proposed Columbia location emerging as the top option.

“This project and facility has always been of interest for me and my counterparts,” Glover said, adding the group had looked at potential sites on both sides of the river.

“I know what a good sports complex looks like, and I know what a bad one looks like,” Glover continued. “We would want this to be something that anyone from Columbia or even the surrounding area would say ‘that’s a really great facility.’”

“There’s other soccer fields, but … with turf fields, you can continue to play even with rain. You can’t do that with grass,” Glover said, adding these fields could be used throughout the year with enough space for up to eight simultaneous games.

“The sport (of soccer) itself is not only growing here in Columbia but also in St. Louis with addition of the St. Louis City (Major League Soccer) team,” Glover noted, adding this new complex would bring additional revenue to the city.

One benefit of the Columbia site includes ease of access from the highway – especially for patrons from Missouri – Glover explained.

He said larger soccer teams, specifically St. Louis’ Lou Fusz club soccer group, have expressed interest in renting fields.

The primary focus will not just be for soccer, though. Glover anticipates rentals for softball, especially in the spring,  among other outdoor sports.

Ward I Alderman Doug Garmer said he believed the sand volleyball area would be utilized immediately once the complex was built. 

Glover also pointed out the site was designed with safety in mind.

“Parking is usually an afterthought, but we are all parents of youth involved in sports, so we’ve thought about these things,” Glover said, citing smaller parking lots near playing fields at other parks which create potential safety hazards. 

Garmer had concerns about the intersection of DD and Bluff roads, specifically the elevation of the proposed parking lot in relation to the roads.

Garmer also said the sharp turning angle on Palmer and Bluff Roads at DD Road pose a potential problem.

“If you’re not paying attention (at the intersection), you’re in the field,” he said.

Columbia Police Chief Jason Donjon said if the complex was built, improving lighting at the intersection would be a “big thing” to consider. 

The topic was a discussion item only, although the proposal gained recommended approval by the Columbia Plan Commission at its Aug. 8 meeting. 

Glover concluded by saying  “the idea is to make this into a destination, not just a place to play sports,” with amenities such as concessions and a possible restaurant making the location  a place to enjoy a game and  “to hang out afterward.”

The council will vote on a required special use permit request at a future meeting.

If approved, Glover stated an intention to “get started as soon as possible” with a goal of having the turf fields and parking lot completed in August 2023.

In other business, the council approved a special use permit for a drive-thru window to be installed as part of upcoming construction of a Jimmy John’s restaurant at 150 Veterans Parkway.

The council discussed the idea at a prior meeting and the special use permit gained recommended approval by the Columbia Planning Commission in July.

The council approved a separate item which may help with traffic on Veterans Parkway – a concrete replacement project.

During the concrete replacement, there are tentative plans to create a bi-directional left-turn lane on Veterans Parkway to help congestion on the street – especially near the McDonald’s, Taco Bell and future Jimmy John’s location.

There is no definite timetable for the concrete replacement or a resurfacing project on Old Route 3 which will also include part of Veterans Parkway, but Columbia City Engineer Chris Smith said he expects both to be completed by the end of the year.

Another resurfacing project of the Admiral Trost and Bolm-Schuhkraft “loop” trails, along with “miscellaneous improvements” to the GM&O Heritage Trail, are expected to begin in the coming weeks and be completed by the end of November.

A recently completed project, the Quarry Road Roundabout, drew praise from Ward IV Alderman Mary Ellen Niemietz.

She said the “big test” was the roundabout’s use during the Immaculate Conception Church Labor Day Picnic. 

Niemietz reported attendees had only good things to say about the roundabout. She also thanked everyone involved in the project for doing a great job and having the roundabout completed in a “timely fashion” before the beginning of the school year.