Prince William County officials will not move forward with a plan to build a $130 million indoor sports complex with taxpayer money and instead are returning to the idea of trying to recruit a private company to build it as part of a larger development dubbed “The Landing Town Center.”

Both the facility’s price tag and the county’s obligation to potentially cover millions in annual operating expenses led to the decision, according to Kenny Boddye, vice chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

The board was expected to hold a vote on the complex plan in September, but a lack of support on among supervisors scuttled that idea, Boddye said.

“Some of my colleagues were saying … ‘What are our priorities? We could put more money toward the schools. We could put more money into transit (or) our social services,’” he said. “$130 million … is a lot of money to put toward one thing.”

Board Chair Deshundra Jefferson was a key swing vote in the decision not to move forward.

“My concern with the indoor sports facility, as it was previously proposed, was just that it was a huge burden on taxpayers, and that’s not something I can sign off on,” Jefferson said.

Since 2019, the supervisors have been discussing the idea of building an indoor sports complex that would serve as a regional facility for indoor track meets as well as tournaments for basketball, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics and pickleball. Under the most recent proposal pitched by a private builder, the facility would feature a hydraulic banked running track, six basketball courts, 20 pickleball courts and seats for up to 3,500 spectators.

In November 2023, the board’s five Democratic supervisors voted in favor of spending an initial $860,000 on the project, which included the $310,00 feasibility study and a $550,000 deposit on a 21-acre site along Telegraph Road in Woodbridge for the facility.

In May, the board voted to move ahead with buying the land for $16 million. The money came from unspent federal American Rescue Plan Act funds the county received in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board’s three Republican supervisors voted against both moves. Without Jefferson’s support, the vote on the complex would have failed.

Today, Tuesday, Nov. 26, the supervisors will hear about the latest idea for launching what they call “The Landing Town Center,” an effort to redevelop about 70 acres along Interstate 95 that includes the land for the sports complex.

The idea is to court a developer who would be given exclusive rights to turn the area into a hub of housing, retail and commercial uses — so long as the supervisors agree with the plan, according to a presentation the board will hear from Christina Winn, the county’s economic development director.

The area is roughly bordered by I-95, Caton Hill and Telegraph roads and is home to two of the county’s largest commuter parking lots at Horner and Telegraph roads. Winn’s presentation pitches replacing the parking lots with garages along with two possible visions: a sports-and-wellness- focused development centered on a privately funded indoor sports complex, or a “global cultural destination” with a focus on restaurants and art venues.

The pitch asks the supervisors to use $250,000 in economic opportunity funds to further study the idea. Under a rough timeline, the county could enter an agreement with a developer by the end of 2027. Winn did not return calls requesting comment.

Jason Grant, who often spoke in favor of the project during county meetings, said he was disappointed but not surprised it would not go forward.

Grant is a Bristow father of four who coaches the Patriot High School track team as well as the Cedar Run Track Club, a summer program that serves about 230 kids from kindergarten through high school.

He has been advocating for more than five years for such a facility in Prince William County as both an economic driver and an asset for local families. Having such a complex close to home would save them from making regular trips to similar facilities in Virginia Beach, Lynchburg and New York, Grant said.

“I don’t think anybody’s getting their hopes up because this is the third time (the project) has been bypassed,” Grant said. “There’s not much more we as a community can do. … Maybe this will be the solution. We hope it is.”