March 8, 2013 December 19, 2013 March 17, 2014 Mr. Russell Seymour Office of Economic Development 101-D Mounts Bay Road Williamsburg, Virginia 23185 Dear Mr. Seymour: Conventions, Sports & Leisure International (CSL), The Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA), and Counsilman- Hunsaker (C-H) are pleased to present this draft report regarding a financial and market feasibility study for an indoor recreational sports complex and a 50-meter competitive indoor aquatics center, both to be located in Williamsburg, Virginia. The attached report summarizes our research and analyses and is intended to assist James City County in making informed decisions regarding the projects. The information contained in this report is based on estimates, assumptions and other information developed from research of the market, knowledge of similar sports complexes and other factors, including certain information James City County and other project stakeholders have provided. All information provided to us by James City County, facility management at competitive/comparable facilities, local and regional sports organizations, demographic providers and other sources was not audited or verified and was assumed to be correct. Furthermore, there will be differences between projected and actual results. This is because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, and those differences may be material. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to assist you with this project and would be pleased to be of further assistance in the interpretation and application of the study’s findings. Very truly yours, CSL International, The Sports Facilities Advisory, and Counsilman-Hunsaker Conventions, Sports & Leisure International 520 Nicollet Mall • Suite 440 • Minneapolis, MN 55402 • Telephone 612.294.2000 • Facsimile 612.294.2045 TABLE OF CONTENTS _______________ Executive Sumary ....................................................................................................... ES-1 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. Local Market Analysis ...................................................................................................... 5 3. Comparable/Competitive Facilities ............................................................................... 16 4. Estimated Demand ........................................................................................................ 37 5. Building Program, Cost and Financial Analysis .............................................................. 46 Appendix A: Sports Facility Five-Year Financial Operating Pro Forma Appendix B: Aquatics Center Five Year Financial Operating Pro Forma A RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR JAMES CITY COUNTY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY James City County (County) retained the consulting team of Conventions, Sports, & Leisure International (CSL), The Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA), and Counsilman-Hunsaker (C-H) to provide an independent assessment of the market and financial feasibility of both a competitive indoor aquatics center and an indoor recreational sports facility (Aquatics Center and Sports Complex, respectively; collectively, the Facilities). The Sports Complex would be intended to service indoor court sport needs, with an emphasis on basketball and volleyball, but would also support other indoor recreational sports and activities as needed. Both Facilities are envisioned to be economic impact generators, so a key focus would be on attracting regional and national tournaments/meets. This Executive Summary presents key conclusions from a comprehensive, market-based study of the viability of the proposed Facilities. The full report should be read in its entirety to obtain the background, methods and assumptions underlying the findings. Local Market Analysis An important component in assessing the potential success of the proposed Facilities in Williamsburg, considering the intentions for the Facilities to be generators of economic impact, is the local market’s ability to be competitive in attracting outside tournaments and meets. Factors such as transportation access to the market and the ease with which potential event-goers can reach the Facilities, travel distances from other regional markets, the availability of hotel accommodations, and the various amenities and attractions that help to strengthen the visitor experience, are all critical in building a competitive tournament/meet destination. Equally important in the potential success of the proposed Facilities is the demographic and socioeconomic profile of the market area from which the facility could be expected to draw regular users. The strength of a market, in terms of its ability to support and utilize recreational sports facilities is measured, to some extent, by the size of the regional market area population and its age, income, ethnicity and other characteristics. The following is a summary of the key conclusions of the analysis of local market characteristics: Williamsburg benefits from a high degree of highway connectivity with the surrounding region. Its location along Interstate 64, which runs the length of the Peninsula and to Richmond, allows for easy access into the City for a large population of potential users. Interstate 95 runs north and south from Richmond and provides northern connectivity to regional markets, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia. There are three international airports within 60 miles of Williamsburg that can provide air access to the market – the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Norfolk International, and Richmond International. Williamsburg and the Greater Market area are known for their tourist draw and provide a great deal of attractions and activities to visitors. The “Historic Triangle,” which drives a great deal of the local tourism, provides a living-history of colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. A RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR JAMES CITY COUNTY Page ES-1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Timeshare accommodations within the Greater Market area play a large part in supporting transient room nights. Room accommodations within properties with 100 rooms or more, including timeshare properties, total 12,600 within a 7-mile radius of downtown Williamsburg total. 6,200 rooms exist within a 3-mile radius. Based on CSL industry research and past studies, data show that a large majority of local, regular users of recreational sports facilities within markets similar to that of Williamsburg reside in or commute from a geographical area within 30 minutes of the facility. For purposes of this study, this geographical area and its population of potential users will be known as the Primary Market. The Primary Market for the proposed Facilities is home to approximately 182,000 residents, representing the primary population base of potential local users. Between the years 2000 and 2014, this population base grew 1.7 percent, compared with 0.9 percent for the U.S. as a whole. Growth rates over the next five years are projected to be 1.0 percent for the Primary market and 0.7 percent for the entire country. The age demographics of the Williamsburg market area are very similar to those of the U.S. as a whole. In terms of local participation, a mix of youth and adult programming should be offered to maximize utilization of the proposed Facilities. Comparable/Competitive Facilities Understanding the operations of comparable and potentially competitive sports facilities provides benchmarks from which to assess the potential for the proposed Facilities and is important in understanding the competitive landscape in which they would operate. The following is a summary of the key findings of the analysis of comparable/competitive facilities, separated by facility type: Aquatic Facilities Three national comparable aquatic facilities were evaluated. These facilities, located in Florida, North Carolina, and California, represent a the types of large, national venues that a proposed Williamsburg center would be competing against for large regional and national meets. Physical characteristics include at least one 50-meter competitive pool with moveable bulkheads, at least one 25-yard warm-up/cool-down pool, and average spectator seating for 3,100. Each facility hosts between 35 and 50 competitive events annually, on a local, regional and national basis. Regionally, eight venues were identified as comparable and/or competitive with the proposed aquatic facility. Four contain 50-meter pools, while the remaining have 25-yard pools. Spectator seating amongst the group, based on available data, shows capacities ranging from 200 to 1,000, and averaging 575. On an annual basis, the facilities host 30 meets, on average, made up of a variety of levels of swimming. On a local level, there are no aquatic facilities that can accommodate a competitive swimming event of the level anticipated for the proposed Williamsburg facility. A RECREATIONAL FACILITY FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR JAMES CITY COUNTY Page ES-2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Recreational Sports Facilities Six national comparable recreational sports facilities were evaluated. The six facilities contain an average of nearly 110,000 square feet of space and offer, on average, seven basketball courts and nine volleyball courts. Numerous additional amenities are offered, as well. On average, the facilities host a combined 35 basketball and volleyball tournaments annually, as well as additional events. Five facilities,