Complex Proposed for CSUN

Cal State Northridge administrators are reviewing a preliminary plan to add a multimillion-dollar events center to the university’s North Campus development project.

Valley Sports Complex, Inc., a management company formed to plan a multipurpose sports facility in the Valley area, has submitted a rough-draft proposal to Northridge outlining a complex that would include two pools, two ice-skating surfaces, a gymnastics room and a 7,000-seat basketball arena.

“It would be a showcase for the West Coast,” said Michael Paikin, president of Valley Sports Complex.

However, the $25-million question remains--is university land the right place for such a facility?

A recreation center for students had been proposed as part of a North Campus expansion that officially will begin Sept. 18. That concept has been altered by Paikin’s Group to include a major sports environment.

“Those two things are not necessarily incompatible, but one hell of lot of coordination has to take place,” said Elliot Mininberg, CSUN’s vice president for administration and university advancement.

“The idea Paikin has brought to use is one that has some icing on it that initially looks and tastes pretty good but really requires a lot more study before we would encourage a developer to enter into an agreement.”

Mininberg and Northridge attorneys are mulling over a draft letter of proposal for the arena. They will notify Valley Sports Complex by the end of the month to either drop the plan or investigate it further .

Paikin has said his company is willing to sponsor a $50,000 feasibility study on the project if it gets the go-ahead from Northridge.

Any construction plan would need the approval of Watt Investment Properties, which has a development agreement with Northridge for the North Campus area.

Jim Readle, Watt’s project manager for North Campus, has met several times with Paikin to discuss a cooperative venture. “We’re kind of in the dreaming stage right now,” he said. “But I think the concept has enough merit to warrant sufficient in-depth review to see if we could do it.”

It is a complex matter. “What it does,” Readle said, “is take all the problems we had with the entire North Campus development and compound them on only one part of the project. But my gut tells me the overall concept of it is do-able.”

The project’s completion date would hinge on the financing structure.

“It depends on when the money comes in and where it comes from,” Readle said. “If somebody comes along and drops off a check for $20 million we can start designing the sucker now, but it would probably take a good nine to 12 months to design to put us into an area where we could go out and break ground.”

Barring the appearance of a fairy godfather-philanthropist, the endeavor likely would be a joint venture between Northridge and corporate sponsors.

“By joining forces, private sponsors and the university can come together to provide something that the university does not have,” Readle said. “If at the same time it provides additional benefit to the public, then I say we have a winner. That to me is worth spending some time exploring.”

Northridge would probably be unable to finance such a project based on the initial revenue the facility would generate. “I just don’t know whether there would be that much money coming in to finance a project like that,” Readle said. “Like the pool. If it alone is $6 million, how do you charge for a pool? You can’t charge kids from the neighborhood for that.”

Another option would be for Northridge to fund the project itself. “But,” Readle said, “I can tell you that having been through the experience with North Campus, it’s real doubtful that would happen.”

How and by whom the facility would be operated is another consideration. Having the first right of refusal for scheduled events is a prime concern for Northridge.

Mininberg said that the university would be happy to share such a venue with the general public but that its students had first priority. “It serves no purpose in diverting our very priceless land unless our students are going to be the direct beneficiaries,” he said.

Said Paikin: “We’re hoping to make it a center that is not just for the college--but obviously the college would be first as far as its programs go.”

Even if Valley Sports Complex fails in its bid to reach an agreement with Northridge, it appears that a seed has been planted. Support for some kind of arena is growing and should get another boost if Northridge declares intent to upgrade its status in athletics from Division II to Division I.

“I think the opportunities for this project for the San Fernando Valley, not just the Northridge community, are tremendous,” said Bob Hiegert, Northridge athletic director. “One of the things we would like to try to do as far as our athletic commitment is provide entertainment and some kind of articulation between the university and the community so they can come and watch something and also a learning opportunity--whether it be for coaches or young kids in camps and clinics.”

Paikin’s proposal includes a 16,000-square-foot regulation ice surface and a 20,000-square-foot competition ice surface with permanent seating on two sides. Ice surfaces would take up about half of the complex, although both venues could be changed in a matter of hours to accommodate an event such as a concert.

Mininberg said Northridge might have some interest in a skating surface of a significantly smaller scope.

Paikin, 45, is from New York but has lived in the Valley since 1974. His background is in sales and public relations, and he is part owner of Van Nuys Ice Land and the Pasadena Skating Center, which explains his interest in a large ice surface. He also has coached skating at several schools, including Cornell University.

The construction of a multipurpose sports facility in the Valley area has been the focus of a personal crusade by Paikin for several years.

“The whole idea of a complex got started way before we started talking to CSUN,” he said. “The fact is, we don’t have anything in the Valley. We have health clubs and exercise centers, but no facility that includes multi-use.”

Should his proposal to Northridge fall through, Paikin said he will go elsewhere. “My company is ready to fund the whole thing as a public offering,” he said.