Snoqualmie couple John and Wendy Miller received initial support from the North Bend City Council for their plans to build an indoor-outdoor athletic complex on 12 acres of open space between S.R. 202 and Boalch Avenue, just north of N.W. 14th Street, at the Oct. 18 meeting of the city council.

A development between the city and the Millers’ company, Bendigo Properties, LLC, was approved in a first reading by the council but final approval will have to wait until the city’s planning commission can make a formal recommendation. The commission held a public hearing on the matter Oct. 13 but could not make a formal recommendation due to absences.

The complex, to be built in two phases, would include four outdoor combination turf fields, plus a 50-space paved parking lot and temporary portable toilets in phase 1. In phase 2, the 75,000 square-foot, 12-court indoor facility would be built, along with another 90 spaces of paved parking and restrooms sufficient for all uses of the facility.

The agreement would allow for the building to have a 20 percent variance on the 30-foot height limitation to accommodate the higher ceilings needed for indoor basketball courts.

Although the item before the council was only a first reading of the development agreement and there are still several steps to complete in the process, including a SEPA review, several citizens urged the council to approve the project, for the benefit of the community.

Wes Stover, a North Bend resident and president of the Wildcat Baseball Booster Club pointed out that this spring, the Mount Si High School baseball team won’t have a place to play without this project.

With the start of the rebuild of Mount Si High School that began last month, the high school’s baseball fields were demolished for construction parking, and they won’t be rebuilt until near the completion of the project, estimated to be 2019.

“Bottom line, is our high school athletes are going to have to be shipped out of the Valley… just to play,” he said.

“This was a perfect fit. Whether or not they’re going to be able to get this done (in time for high school baseball next spring) is probably real questionable at this time, because of the complexities… but it will be ready for the following three years.”

He also noted that the project was privately owned and privately funded. Neither the city nor the school district would pay to build or maintain the fields.

“This is a great opportunity, we can’t pass this up,” he told the council.

Also in favor of the project were parents and coaches.

“One of the challenges we have as coaches is we’re always looking for dry fields,” said Bo Smith, a long time coach. “This proposal that’s in front of you guys would really benefit our community in many ways.”

“You council members wanted us to be known for recreation,” Paula Lodahl reminded the council.

“There just weren’t enough facilities for this fast-growing community,” said Wendy Miller, the applicant, along with her husband, John Miller.

He also spoke to the council, to “plead” for their support.

“I have coached in the valley for probably more than 12 years, he said. “We are the only (Little League) District 9 community that does not have a turf field to play baseball on and it makes a huge difference in the development of the kids, it really does.”

No one who spoke to the city council was opposed to the project. However, Economic Development Director Gina Estep reported to the council that at the planning commission’s hearing the previous week, two representatives of Meadowbrook Farm, which neighbors the proposed complex to the north, were concerned about the possible impact of the development on its future income. The Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center relies heavily on rental income from weddings, which could be affected by noise from the nearby fields, and the representatives wanted the city, a partial owner of the property, to be aware of that, Estep said.

Only one other concern was raised regarding the project, the extension of the city’s sewer lines to the project site. The extension would be paid for by the developers, and would allow other nearby properties to connect to the system, but the work would be “complicated,” said Public Works Director Mark Rigos.

The planning commission met Oct. 20 and recommended approval of the development agreement.The council is expected to vote on the proposal at its Nov. 1 meeting, 7 p.m. at the Mount Si Senior Center.