ASHEVILLE – The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the donation of $1.3 million from the sale of a spec building to a sports complex in Enka.

The proceeds from the property on Jacob Holm Way are slated to match $8.6 million in donated property and cash to develop the expansive complex on the old Enka/BASF plant site. The complex for the Enka Youth Sports Organization includes 90 acres of land that will be donated by Fletcher Partners.

“We are the model across the state for partnering with nonprofits, for partnering with people to achieve more than we can achieve separately,” said David Gantt, chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “And I think this is a prime example of that.”

Martin Lewis of Fletcher Partners made a presentation to the commissioners and answered their questions about the proposed 90-acre sports complex, which has been about six years in the making. Martin, a father of four children between the ages of 6 and 16, has watched his friends take their kids all over the Southeast and beyond to play sports.

“We said, ‘We’ll never be like that. We won’t do that,'” he said. “Well, if your children are going to play sports, that’s kind of the way things are now, that you do (travel), whether it’s soccer, whether it’s baseball, whether it’s basketball. And we feel like this would give the local families a place to go to play in travel tournaments on the weekends.”

The $1.3 million allocation hinges on several restrictions: the spec building must sell to a private investor and the youth organization must commit to complete the greenways as depicted in the master plan for the 90 acres. The sports organization must also secure the 90-acre site by donation from Fletcher Partners, $2.4 million from the TDA Product Development Fund and $1 million in private donations.

Also, “If usage of this project changes from recreational sports, any change would require approval of the board of commissioners existing at that time,” Gantt said.

Lewis said the cost of the sports complex is $5.3 million. The TDA contribution is a matching grant, so the group will have to raise $2.4 million as well. Lewis said Fletcher Partners, which consists of five individuals, has raised $750,000 in donations in about 50 days, Lewis said.

The facility is supposed to be self-sustaining, Lewis said. Revenue-generating tournaments would happen during the weekend and serve as a recruiting tool for families and businesses. He also foresees corporate sponsorships throughout the fields. He expects minimal fees for local teams during the week, although exact numbers have not been determined.

“Our whole driving force is to make it accessible to local folks,” Lewis said.

Lisa Baldwin, of the Buncombe County School Board, complained prior to Lewis’ presentation that the public was not given enough time to digest the project and asked that the board postpone any decision. She also had concerns about the safety of the site, related to potential contamination.

About 30 acres of the proposed site is on a closed landfill, Lewis said.

The board added a stipulation to its donation that the Enka Youth Sports Organization provide documentation that it does due diligence related to the environment and meets local, state and federal standards.

“Obviously safety is paramount for our children,” Commissioner Joe Belcher said.