IW supervisors OK private sports club at former school gym
Published 3:52 pm Tuesday, August 2, 2022
- Renovation of one of the former James River Christian Academy's classroom buildings into a daycare is in progress. Behind the building to the right is the circa-1980 gym, which is proposed for conversion into a private sports club. Stephen Faleski | The Smithfield Times
Isle of Wight County supervisors gave final approval July 21 to a proposal to convert the former James River Christian Academy gymnasium into a private sports club.
Anthony Landes and Derek Joyner had applied for a conditional use permit to turn the 6,300-square-foot, circa-1980 building and adjacent outdoor athletic field into a facility that would offer off-season baseball, softball and soccer training, as well as gymnastics lessons.
According to Landes’ and Joyner’s application, the club would operate Monday through Friday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. by appointment only.
James River Christian Academy operated from 1970 through its closure in 2007. The Smithfield Sports Complex, as the gymnasium would be named, is the second proposal for reusing the 25-acre campus that Isle of Wight County has entertained in the past 18 months.
In October, the supervisors approved a proposal by property owner Vincent Carollo and teacher Jamie Mintz to convert one of the two 9,240-square-foot classroom buildings into a day-care center. Renovation of the classroom building is in progress.