Gloucester Township | The Hit Doctor

The Hit Doctor

TOWNSHIP ANNOUNCES THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW $7 MILLION REGIONAL SPORTS COMPLEX

(Gloucester Township, NJ) Mayor David Mayer is today announcing the development of a new $7 Million private sports complex to be constructed at the Nike Redevelopment Site located on Williamstown-Chews Landing Road near Cross Keys Road in the southern area of the township. The project will include the construction of four AstroTurf© fields with lights, a clubhouse, grandstands, parking and all other amenities which will make this complex one of the finest venues in the nation to host local and national amateur baseball tournaments.

Gloucester Township Sports Complex Urban Renewal Partners, LP, a private firm controlled by Joe Barth, “The Hit Doctor”, will be purchasing the 27-acre site from the Township and will finance the construction of the project privately. The Hit Doctor has signed an agreement with Ripken Design for design and construction management assistance on the project and is working with Ripken Baseball on ways to bring Ripken tournament programming to the site. Ripken Baseball and Ripken Design are businesses owned by National Baseball Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, Jr. and his brother, 12-year Major League Baseball veteran, Bill Ripken.

Mayor Dave Mayer stated that “this project is a homerun for Gloucester Township in many ways. The new baseball complex, which can accommodate all levels of baseball, softball, football, soccer and other sports, will bring major regional tournaments to the township. The teams traveling to Gloucester Township
from throughout the country will shop and dine in our
local stores and restaurants, generating additional
jobs and revenue for
township businesses.”

The Mayor added, “The project will also provide a significant financial boost to the Township’s budget through the purchase of this Township-owned parcel. In addition, the annual private tax payments from the project will help the Township keep our taxes down.” The current site has not paid taxes to the Township since the property was purchased by the US Government in the 1950s to be operated as a Nike missile radar site. The Township purchased the land from the federal government and has been marketing it to private developers. The project also includes a hotel and restaurant as a second phase of the project, which will create additional jobs and ratables for the Township. The Township is also seeking a major entertainment complex, which will include a movie theatre, at the 19-acre Nike missile launch site located on Cross Keys Road, which the Township also purchased from the federal government for private redevelopment. “I envision these complexes working in tandem to create a unique experience in Gloucester Township, while creating new jobs for local residents and tax ratable for the Township” said Mayor Mayer.

“This state-of-the-art baseball complex will become the hotbed for baseball on the East Coast” said Joe Barth, who will own and direct operations of the facility. “I want to make South Jersey one of the nation’s top recruiting grounds for college and professional teams. We will be sharing our success financially with local teams thereby helping them travel to other tournaments and defray their expenses. As the host of numerous state and national tournaments, we will be bringing tremendous economic activity to Gloucester Township. We have enjoyed working relationship with Mayor David Mayer, Township Council and the Gloucester Township Economic Development Corporation in turning my lifelong dream into a reality. We plan to host our first tournament in June of this year.”

Courier-Post Article "Planned sports complex inspires grand visions"

Contact Phil Rowan

856-985-5008 ( econdevelopment.net )