Auburn Plan Commission approves $42 Million sports park

AUBURN, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - Four months after the big announcement, a sports park finally got the approval to be built in Auburn.

That city’s plan commission voted unanimously in favor of the proposal Tuesday night after months of delays. The slow start could have been due to a lack of government approval and a lawsuit filed by Grand Park Fieldhouse, which is based in Westfield.

The $42 million investment would put this new park on the site of the former Auburn Auction Park just off of I-69. The plans call for indoor and outdoor fields that can accommodate a number of sports And the complex would cover about 400 acres and is touted as a site to host competitions and camps with regional appeal.

Tuesday’s meeting featured public comment and while some people raised concerns about noise and traffic flow in and out of the park, they say they’re willing to have a conversation with developers.

“To get to this point is extremely exciting and it’s been a dream for a long time and to actually get here and pass this is something we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time,” Auburn Sport Group’s Rodney Sinn said.

Sinn was named in that lawsuit filed by Grand Park. It accuses Sinn of violating contractual terms which lead to damages to the Westfield operation. In that filing, attorneys note that both parties have entered an agreement to settle the case. Sinn said he had no comment.

Leaders with the Plan Commission said the project can move now forward.

Developers initially said the sports park would open in the middle of this summer. However, they now say construction is expected to finish in the spring of next year.

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