An indoor soccer complex with seven fields is being proposed for Chantilly. It would be at the northwest corner of the intersection of Route 50 and Pleasant Valley Road, extending west to the Loudoun County line.

The developer is Manekin at Dulles South Development, and Golden Goal Enterprises LLC would operate the facility. But first it needs to obtain a special-use permit from Fairfax County.

Toward that end, Kevin Eveker, managing member of Golden Goal, and Robert Kelly, a consultant working with Golden Goal, presented details to the Sept. 8 meeting of the Sully District Council of Civic Association's Land-Use and Transportation Committee.

"WE HOPE to get through the special-use process in 90 days," said Kelly. "Sometime next summer, we'd be able to open our doors and start operations and be hitting on all cylinders by fall."

The 27-acre site is planned for four, flex (part business, part warehouse) office buildings. A Public Storage facility currently exists there, and Kelley said negotiations are underway with another storage company called Pods. The other three buildings aren't yet constructed. The soccer complex would go in the middle building of about 46,000 square feet.

There would be three 110x60-foot fields, three 85x30 and one 45x25; the smallest one would be used for warm-ups. Also planned are locker rooms with showers, an assembly room where teams could gather for parties or a coaching meeting, a sports store selling soccer accessories such as soccer pads and cleats, a snack bar and a raised observation deck.

Kelly said the observation area would let parents and other spectators watch the games, and there'd also be administrative offices, a handicap lift to the mezzanine, plus a place where toddlers could play while their older siblings are on the field.

The one-story building would be climate-controlled, and a maximum of 240 people could be expected to use the complex at any one time. Said Eveker: "With six games going, you'd have about 22 participants on each field, for about 140 people. (The rest would be spectators).

Kelly said the fields' turf is the same type that's used in the Baltimore Ravens' stadium. "It's a rubberized surface that has some give when kids fall on it," explained Eveker. "It gives you a little of the feel of the outdoors and prevents a lot of the injuries from [the indoor surfaces] of long ago."

EVEKER, WHO COACHES and plays soccer in Fairfax County, said an indoor soccer field provides "a lot more aerobic exercise than an outdoor soccer field, and better skill development." He's also proud of the proposed bleachers. "Most of these kinds of places lack adequate viewing space for spectators, a warm-up area and a nice environment," he said. "We have all three, plus heat and air conditioning."

"It has public water and sewer," added Kelly. "But we're not going to commit to a lease until we get a special-use permit." Land-use committee chairman Jeff Parnes then asked about the traffic flow. Kelly said the front of the building faces the rear of the site and 148 parking spaces are planned, including six handicap spaces.

As for patrons, the complex would be open to adult and youth leagues. Kelly said they'd already spoken with both the Chantilly and Reston soccer associations. "A substantial portion of the clientele — larger than 50 percent — would come from Fairfax County, [rather than Loudoun]," said Eveker.

Although the plan was to have the players dropped off in the front of the building, at the entrance, committee member Judy Heisinger said she'd prefer them dropped off in back. "Otherwise, kids are getting dropped off on the wrong side of the road," she said.

"Internal signage would help clarify where people should drive," suggested Parnes. That way, if traffic instead flowed clockwise around the building, parents letting children off would have their passenger-side doors next to the entrance.

Operating hours would be Sunday through Saturday, from 7 a.m.-1 a.m., including holidays. Peak field times are expected to be Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-midnight, and weekends from 7 a.m.-midnight. And outside lighting would illuminate the walkway and the back of the building.

THERE'S ALREADY a traffic signal at Pleasant Valley Road and Route 50, and a cul-de-sac on the north allows for access to the facililty. The applicants had a traffic study done and, said Kelly, "Largely due to the nature of our operation time, the engineers concluded that we'd have no adverse [traffic] impact [on the area]."

If all goes well, the matter could go to the county Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), which has the final say on this issue, by November, at the earliest. If it gave its blessing, the complex could be operational by July or August 2004, with adult leagues starting play there immediately, followed by youth leagues in the fall.

The land-use committee recommended approval of the special-use permit, subject to county staff recommendations and the signage change regarding dropoffs.

Afterward, Kelly said they chose this site because of the interest in soccer here and the success of the leagues. Also playing a role, said Eveker, was the "lack of available field space in Fairfax County — both indoor and outdoor."