Velodrome construction set for next year, will bring 248 jobs to Coatesville

COATESVILLE — All hurdles have been cleared, and ground-breaking is expected in 2023 for a National Sports and Events Center in Coatesville.

The nearly $80 million project, 15 years in the making, is expected to generate 248 jobs, about 100 of them permanent.

City officials are hoping the construction will be completed in time for the 2024 Olympics.

The multisport events and entertainment facility will feature the National Velodrome, the first permanent indoor velodrome in the Eastern United States. The NSEC was recently awarded a total of $9 million in state funding to support land development of the 24-acre site in the center of Coatesville, which has a population of 14,000 people.

The 245,000-square-foot facility will have about 2,500 fixed seats. A velodrome belt will circle a floor allowing for concerts, sporting events and even conventions. The facility will be just minutes from the Courtyard by Mariott off Route 82.

The NSEC would offer bicycle track racing for local, Olympic, and world-class caliber athletes. Developers and city officials expect the project, which has close proximity to the new train station currently under construction, to provide a significant economic boost to the city’s ongoing downtown revitalization.

According to the development team of Crosby Wood, Rick Mayer, Patrick Kinzeler and David Chauner: “This is a major step in the revitalization of Coatesville and for the advancement of American track cycling.”

The 245,000-square-foot indoor venue will include the 2,500-seat velodrome arena with locker rooms, a trackside bistro, and 12,000 square feet of supportive retail space. A connected 40,000-square-foot  fieldhouse will house an athlete performance center, multiple sports courts, a Boys and Girls Club, a family entertainment center, meeting rooms and more.

Funding of the $70 million NSEC project will be through public-private partnerships in association with the Chester County Economic Development Council, regional banks and the Velodrome Development Foundation headed by the honorary chairman, Greg LeMond.

Last year, Coatesville City Council approved the sale of the Flats, the city’s largest parcel, to IDG Development, a Coatesville-based joint venture led by New Heritage Properties of Coatesville. IDG’s principals are Rick Mayer of Guilford, Conn., and Crosby Wood, Patrick Kinzeler and David Chauner of Chester County.

“Our entire development team is incredibly grateful to our partners at the state for recognizing the importance of this project and the economic impact it will have not just on the City of Coatesville but on the entire region. This funding for the land development will underpin the entire project,” Wood said.