LUC sends youth sports complex to City Council with lighting curfew and parking conditions

August 13, 2026 - 07:46

The Land Use Commission gave its approval Wednesday to send a proposal for a new youth sports complex on Green Bay Road to the City Council, but not without attaching several conditions aimed at limiting the impact on nearby residents.

The recommendation includes a lighting curfew that would require all field lights to be turned off by 9 p.m. on weeknights and 8 p.m. on Sundays. The commission also mandated a parking plan that keeps all vehicles off the surrounding residential streets, directing families and visitors to an on-site lot instead.

The project, which has been in discussion for over a year, would add multiple soccer and lacrosse fields, a small concession stand, and restroom facilities on the roughly 18-acre parcel. Supporters say the complex is badly needed to ease the shortage of playing space for local youth leagues, which currently bus kids to fields in neighboring towns.

But several neighbors spoke during the public hearing, raising concerns about noise, traffic, and the glare from tall light poles carrying into their backyards. The commission's conditions attempt to address those worries, though some residents said they still believe the facility is too large for the site.

The City Council will take up the matter at its next scheduled meeting. If approved, construction could begin as early as next spring, with the first games expected in the fall of the following year. The project's funding comes from a mix of private donations and a city grant, with no new property tax increase tied to the build.