Last week, the Maryland Heights City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract with Ultimate Soccer Arenas of Missouri to lease Sportport, the facility located at Sportport Drive and Maryland Heights Expressway in the Howard Bend floodplain.  We applaud this vote because:

• Using land in Howard Bend for recreational purposes makes perfect sense.  Land used for recreation is less expensive -- and easier -- to restore than other commercial properties after the inevitable flooding that occurs in a floodplain.  We believe more opportunities should be sought to use the land in this area for recreation.
• This kind of sports facility requires a lot of land, which is not available elsewhere in Maryland Heights.  In fact, it's not readily available anywhere else in St. Louis County.  Thus, this is a wise use of land resources for our city and region.
• This type of development has a low impact on the character of the area.  Soccer fields do not loom many stories high, sprout smoke stacks, or generate the traffic of large-scale commercial developments.

Read more about the city's agreement here.  If you like this move by the city, you can let your City Council representatives know with just two clicks!