Sports academy setback seems to be resolved

It looks as though setback issues that delayed consideration of the proposed Gateway Sports Academy in Saukville late last year are close to being resolved.

The Saukville Village Board last month approved a resolution that would allow the academy to be built with a 42-foot setback from the I-43 right of way.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Department of Administration have agreed to the setback and will sign off on it after receiving the village’s resolution, said Ian McCain of Ansay Development, which is a partner in the Northern Gateway Community Collective, where the academy will be located.

Plans for the sports academy were expected to be considered by the village last fall when questions about how much the setback should be emerged, causing the project to be delayed.

“We’re working through the setback issues,” McCain, Ansay’s design construction manager, said last week.

He said the setback can be measured in different ways, which caused confusion and delays for the project.

The village, Ansay Development and Chapman Academy have been working with the DOT to reach a solution that’s agreeable to all those involved, McCain said.

The 42-foot setback approved by the village last month is larger than required in village codes, he noted.

“The DOT has been very helpful,” McCain said, adding that the department could have insisted on a wider setback.

The 42-foot setback will allow the academy to be built much as it was originally designed, he said.

“The building will be unchanged,” he said.

McCain said once the approved setback is recorded with the state and county, plans for the academy will be brought to the Plan Commission for consideration.

“Soon is my hope,” he said when asked when that will be.

McCain said he hoped that construction of the building will begin in spring, with completion of the project in a year.

The Gateway Sports Academy will be the second location for Chapman Basketball Academy in Mequon.

It is expected to include four basketball courts, nine basketball shooting cages, six volleyball courts, eight pickleball courts, team rooms, a sports medicine area and a lounge for players and families to use.

It is expected to host 16 tournaments for school-based basketball teams and 18 national tournaments that would draw 16,000 athletes and 40,000 fans, as well as six volleyball tournaments bringing in 960 players and 2,500 fans.

The facility, which would be open 360 days a year — closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, Easter and the Fourth of July — would host everyone from youngsters to senior citizens participating in recreation leagues and individuals with developmental disabilities taking part in Special Olympics.

Wisconsin Premier Volleyball Club, also located in Mequon, will handle volleyball activities at the academy.

The academy will be part of the Northern Gateway Community Collective being built on the village’s east side.

It will be in a portion of the development known as Mel’s Village, a nod to Mel’s Charities, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities that will be establishing its headquarters in the subdivision.

The development includes housing for these individuals.