Rochester clears $65 million outdoor sports complex for construction

ROCHESTER ‐ City leaders are moving forward with design proposals for the city’s planned $65 million regional sports complex, even as concerns over operational costs and community access linger.

The Rochester City Council voted 5-2 on Monday to approve the schematic design for the complex, with the hope that bids for construction can go out this fall. The scaled-back plans, more than four years in the making, call for eight artificial-turf baseball/softball diamonds, two rectangular fields and 12 pickleball courts.

The council’s approval, however, did not come without skepticism, even from some who voted to move the planning process along.

The project has been under scrutiny since earlier this year when city administration came back with cost estimates showing that part of the project, an indoor sports facility, could not be completed within the budget.

“I feel like we are losing the expectations game among our community members,” said Council President Randy Schubring, who offered lukewarm support for the latest proposal from city staff.

Initially pitched as an outdoor complex to the state Legislature four years ago, plans for the complex began to take on new life in 2023 after a series of community engagement events across the city.

The findings culminated in a 148-page recommendation to the city, complete with renderings showing outdoor fields and a 125,000-square-foot indoor gym with courts that could be adapted for multiple sports.

But only after the sales tax extension was approved did the city acknowledge that the full project pitched to voters would cost nearly double the initial projections. The city blamed consultants for the faulty estimates.

The result was a scaled-back vision for the site, to be located on 160 acres of farmland on the far south end of town, that focuses on developing high-end ball fields that can draw tourism to the area via tournaments.

“We went through the process to try to get more community feedback, and the feedback was that their appetite was bigger than the budget,” City Administrator Alison Zelms told the council Monday.

Council Member Norman Wahl said that while he is disappointed the city will be unable to build both the indoor and outdoor facilities, he is convinced the fields can generate the economic activity originally envisioned when the city went to the Legislature seeking approval for a sales tax extension.

City projections show it would take 16 to 18 weekend tournaments a year plus daily charges for the pickleball courts to make the project viable.

“Some have suggested that we halt the process,” said Wahl, who also serves on the city’s sports commission. “Any halting of the process will add dollars to the project monthly, reducing the good we are able to do with $65 million entrusted to us.”

Rochester Mayor Kim Norton, the most vocal critic of the city’s proposal, disagreed, suggesting the city should pause planning until it has the opportunity to go back and collect more feedback from the community.

“This is not what they told us they wanted,” Norton said. “The community did not understand that phase two would [not be part of the initial plans], and that’s been clear from all of the comments that we have gotten.”

In addition to the fields and pickleball courts, designs also show a playground, plaza area and walking trails. The city also plans to use a portion of the $65 million budget for prep work on a potential indoor facility.

The city has said it plans to look at state bonding opportunities and local lodging taxes as potential sources of revenue for the indoor component.

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