College Township Council on Thursday unanimously approved a final land development plan for a new soccer operations center next to Penn State’s Jeffrey Field.
The two-story building is part of a $21.25 million project approved last year by the university’s Board of Trustees for renovations and additions to the home of the Nittany Lion men’s and women’s soccer team. It’s also one of two new facilities that will be constructed along University Drive next to Jeffrey Field — the other being a multi-sport, air-supported indoor practice structure and turf field.
Plans for the new operations center, which will be constructed immediately southeast of Jeffrey Field, include offices for the coaching staffs, locker room facilities and restrooms.
Both programs currently are housed across campus in Rec Hall and on game days are are transported by bus to Jeffrey Field, where they use temporary trailers without indoor plumbing.
“This project will allow the teams to have all facets of their program to be housed in one area, while also improving the student-athlete experience with permanent facilities,” the university wrote in a news release last year.
Other work will include concrete sidewalks, underground stormwater management and a parking lot with 92 spaces, several of which will also support the adjacent air dome. Michael Vaow, of project engineer Stahl Shaeffer, said some existing parking spot in the area will be lost to the construction, resulting in a net gain of three spaces.
The overall Jeffrey Field project, which was among $68 million in athletic facilities projects approved by Penn State trustees in May 2023, is also expected to include “indoor bathrooms, concession stands, entry plazas and standing room only areas to improve fan experience and allow for the ability to host events,” according to a news release at the time. Plans and a timeline for those renovations have not been revealed.
Also among those projects was the air-supported indoor practice structure, for which College Township Council approved a land development plan in March.
The $9.8 million air dome will be in use six months out of the year and then taken down during spring and summer months, leaving behind just the turf field. It is intended to provide the soccer, field hockey and lacrosse programs with better indoor practice space primarily during winter months when outdoor practice is not feasible and alleviate scheduling pressure at Holuba Hall, which is currently used by multiple teams.
