Sports Complex Would Have Basketball, Badminton, Volleyball, More

A developer of a proposed indoor sports complex on Progress Drive said he plans to seek a rezoning that would allow the facility to be built.

Walt Rapacz -- a Strongsville dad who is planning the complex with Jeff Zbydniewski, also of Strongsville -- said he hopes to meet soon with Council President Mike Daymut and then submit a rezoning request that would clear the way for the 22,000-square-foot facility to be constructed behind Olympia Candy.

"There's not enough gym space in the city," said Rapacz, a former basketball player whose two daughters now play. "It became a situation where this (project) was more of a necessity."

The partners envision a $1 million, three-building complex with indoor basketball and volleyball courts, as well as floor space to practice soccer and Futsal and two batting cages available for rental.

Their business plan says they have also been approached by members of the area's Indian community to build badminton courts.

There would also be a 4,800-square-foot space that could be leased for conditioning and agility training. And Rapacz would seek to develop a "feeder program" for Strongsville High Schools sports teams.

Rapacz said when he purchased the land, documents showed the 2-acre parcel was zoned General Industrial, which allows athletic centers as a conditional use.

But city officials later discovered the land had been rezoned Commercial Services a few years ago -- a district that does not allow sports facilities.

Rapacz said he will pursue the project for his kids and others in Strongsville.

"I want my daughters to have every advantage I had in sports," Rapacz said.