Changes Required Before MMG Sports Performance Center Can Open Its Doors

OWINGS, Md. – One of MMG Sports Performance Center’s two buildings is closer to opening its doors but there’s more work to be done before the second building can be used.

The Calvert County Planning Commission decided at a February 21st meeting, stating that they had received an “expedited report” for a “redline site plan”, meaning there had been changes made to the original plans for the building.

Planning Commission member Christopher Gadway made a motion to approve the change in use from Flex Space to Recreation for building 1, the indoor turf building, but did not approve it to open.

“Upon successful completion of an approved site plan, issuance of all required permits, and final inspections, the county will issue a Certificate of Occupancy, allowing the business to open,” says Sarah Ehman, Public Information Program Manager for Calvert County.

The motion also allows for a second redline site plan for Building 2 to proceed. Building 2, the basketball and volleyball building will remain closed to the public until the redline site plan can be reviewed, permits are issued and final inspections have been passed.

Two of the Planning Commission members, Wilson Freeland and Greg Kernan voted against the motion, but the rest of the members voted to pass it.

While this is good news, a long time coming, for the owner, the builder, and the sports teams who are looking forward to using the facilities, opening up these buildings has been a struggle from the beginning.

The county says the property owner, Jason Scaggs, and lessee, Brian Griffin, opened without any permits for the use of the buildings or inspections.

In a previous report from The BayNet, Calvert County Planning and Zoning stated that both buildings were originally permitted as “flex space”, which is a place for office or warehouse space. They are not approved for indoor recreation, which has different zoning use, Fire Marshal, Environmental Health, and building code requirements.

The owner, Jason Scaggs, states that this is all being blown out of proportion.

“Recreation is allowed here under the current zoning. The only change is to the number of parking spaces and to the way the building is constructed in terms of life safety,” says Scaggs.

The county disagrees and says many changes need to be addressed for the use change.

“We would like to emphasize that Mr. Scaggs has been given every opportunity to make this right for over 8 months,” says Ehman.

Ehman says it is up to the inspectors, who have been in the building to inspect the shell building and electricity for the shell building, to determine if the buildings meet life safety standards.

Scaggs assures that the buildings are constructed above and beyond the minimum life safety standards. He also stated that the Indoor Turf building has been ready for use for almost two months but the county keeps adding more hoops to jump through.

The county says different standards apply to the use of indoor recreation.

“The requirements have not changed since our initial conversations with Jason in late January. No additional “hoops” have been added. It’s important to note that these requirements are regulations already in place and that apply equally to everyone in the county. We understand that navigating through regulatory requirements can be complex and demanding, however, these actions are guided by a commitment to ensure that our community remains a safe and thriving place for everyone,” says Ehman.

In January, the county sent out a release stating that they had received calls about events that were taking place at the facility. Since they weren’t approved for occupancy, the county issued a stop work order on both buildings.

Scaggs again stressed that there is nothing unsafe about the building and that no county personnel have been inside the building to make that determination.

“It’s all just red tape nonsense,” says Scaggs.

The county says that’s not what it is at all.

“There are codes and ordinances required for the health, safety, and welfare of county citizens,” says Ehman.

Another hurdle they’re dealing with is the number of parking spaces needed for the site. Scaggs says the county wants 178 parking spaces, but he has provided studies that show a facility of this size should only need 110.

The county says parking regulations must be met; if the required number of spaces can’t be provided onsite, they will need to construct additional spaces off-site.

“Parking must be provided based on the requirements of the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance. The applicant’s engineer will use the parking regulations to determine the required number of spaces,” says Ehman.

“Between both buildings, there will generally be a max of 50 people at any one time,” says Scaggs.

The county says the occupancy of Building 1 has been set at 270 people by the Fire Marshal.

Scaggs says the chart they use to determine the occupancy doesn’t have anything to do with team sports though.

“Imagine 270 kids playing soccer on half of a field at the same time. This just shows you how out of touch Planning and Zoning is,” says Scaggs.

Scaggs did submit a revision for Building 1 by the deadline to have it addressed at the panel’s meeting this month. Plans for Building 2 were not submitted, so that will be addressed at the meeting in April.

MMG Sports Performance Center will offer team turf rentals, and two NBA regulation basketball courts (available for teams to rent), which can also be set up for volleyball. Each court is also lined with three pickleball courts. The buildings will also provide physical therapy, free weights, a gaming room, party room rental, individual and group training, and more.

Several organizations have already leased out the buildings including Northern High School baseball and football, Huntingtown High School baseball, and several travel sports teams in the northern end of Calvert County.

Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com