No scrums, icing penalties or offsides, the city of Delaware has approved development plans for three indoor hockey rinks and a fourth outdoor hockey pavilion that would double as a 6,000-seat amphitheater in warmer weather.
The June 9 vote allows for the site in an industrial area of western Delaware County that would provide badly needed skating venues in central Ohio to energize the sport. It would also make the region more of a hub for hockey tournaments, skating officials have said.
Maridel, the developer for the music venue and ice rinks, will need to apply for construction permits before ground is broken.
The Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, which touts itself as the premier youth hockey program in the state, has expressed a need for more hockey venues for youth and the need to compete with other cities for hockey tournaments that bring revenue to the region.
OhioHealth Chiller Ice Rinks has operations in five locations: Dublin, Easton Town Center, Lewis Center, Worthington and the Chiller Ice House at Nationwide Arena.
But even with Ohio State University’s ice rink next to Ohio Stadium, demand for ice time often exceeds supply.
To be called “Performance Impact Arena and Pavilion,” the planned hockey project would be at the southwest corner of Sawmill Parkway and U.S. Route 42 in Delaware city.
The AAA group, a nonprofit hockey organization focusing on youth, is not directly connected to the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets franchise but uses the team logo. It has more than 15 coaches teaching and developing elite youth players, according to its website. More than 30 NHL players have graduated from the program, including Connor Murphy (Chicago Blackhawks) Jack Roslovic (Carolina Hurricanes) and current Blue Jackets alternate captain Sean Kuraly.
The 127,00-square-foot hockey pavilion would occupy about 13.5 acres of the 258-acre Maridel subdivision near Delaware Municipal Airport. Developer Bruce Daniels is proposing the larger project, still being planned, which could also include commercial and residential components, along with an instructional driving track and motorsports park.
Dean Narciso covers Delaware County and northern suburbs. He can be reached at dnarciso@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Plans for ice rinks, 6,000-seat amphitheater approved by Delaware City Council
Reporting by Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
