The city of Dublin plans to increase its recreational capacity and possibly build a passenger railroad station on nearly 250 acres it bought on the city’s west side.

The purchase includes SportsOhio, a 100-acre sports complex to which many go for soccer games at Soccer First, go karts, batting cages, a driving range, mini golf and more. The city intends to use the land to connect and beef up its recreational and transportation offerings, along with increasing economic activity.

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The city bought the land from three different entities for $44.6 million, which includes equipment, furnishings and personal property costs.

SportsOhio is next to Darree Fields, a large city park with many sports fields. In a memo to Dublin City Council, City Manager Megan O’Callaghan said there is an opportunity to consolidate the two sports complexes into one:

“This acquisition presents the opportunity to leverage both Darree Fields and SportsOhio to further establish Dublin as a premier sports destination that will host various recreational sports, events and tournaments to serve the needs of our community and attract investors and visitors from all over the country,” O’Callaghan said in a news release.

Part of the purchase agreement included that SportsOhio management will continue to operate the complex like it currently is for up to one year. In this period, city staff will evaluate current operations, maintenance upgrades, and identify a timeline and budget for any capital improvements.

Dublin paid $110,000 an acre for 137 acres of farmland called Carter Farms, which is included as part of the $44.6 million.

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The land is west of a railroad track, and because Dublin already owns land east of it, the city said it could potentially add a passenger railroad stop.

That project is being contemplated as part of the West Dublin Passenger Rail Station Study, intended to secure a station in Dublin as part of regional planning for anticipated Amtrak expansion, according to a city news release.

The Amtrak expansion will feature four prominent routes through Ohio, but service will not start until 2030 at the earliest, The Dispatch previously reported.

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Part of the purchase included Shephard Excavation, an excavation contractor adjacent to SportsOhio, that comprises about 7 acres. The city will lease the land back to Shephard Excavation for up to four years, according to O’Callaghan’s memo.

The company may terminate the lease at any time for no penalty, and the memo said there have been discussions about that. Its location close to sports facilities gives it the potential to be a maintenance facility.

The land the city purchased east of the sports complex will allow the city to finish constructing the final section of University Boulevard.

DHunt@dispatch.com 

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: SportsOhio among nearly 250- acre land purchase by city of Dublin