MIDDLETOWN – The developers of a large youth sports complex that would be built at the southwest corner of Middletown yielded to community concerns about increased traffic and glare from nighttime field lights with the Monday night announcement that those issues are now non-issues.

The south portion of the planned 170-acre Delaware Sports Complex, a pay-for-play facility geared primarily toward traveling teams and tournament play, won’t include field lighting. And developers say a planned third entrance to the facility that could have created unwanted congestion directly across the road from The Estates at Saint Anne’s housing development has now been eliminated.

The change, said Scott Lobdell, one of the developers of the complex, was made in response to concerns expressed at the June 18 Planning and Zoning Commission meeting about building that road.

“After talking with the town and amongst ourselves and some of the DelDOT people, we felt that it was probably better just to take that entrance out,” Lobdell said.

The plan now calls for two entrances into the complex: one, on the northern end of the proposed development, off Levels Road; the other, further east on Levels Road, the existing road into Charles Price Memorial Park, which will remain open for public use. That road will split the north side of the complex from the planned south side – the so-called “Phase III,” which will be built only if market conditions dictate, co-developer Brian Ellis said.

If it does ever get built, Lobdell said Estates residents won’t see any late-night field light glare.

“We haven’t determined the amount of fields that will be lit,” Lobdell said, who’d earlier reminded council and attendees at the well-attended meeting that the plan calls for 20 outdoor all-purpose fields and 16 baseball diamonds. “It’s essentially based on use. … But,” he said, using a laser pointer to indicate the north end of the complex, “what we are looking at is, the only lighted fields would be on this side of the complex.”

“That was my concern,” said Vice Mayor James Reynolds. “The other fields on Phase III are very close to Saint Anne’s. Which would be disruptive with the lights on.”

Lobdell agreed – but also pointed out that much-improved field lighting is now available, showing photos of several fields which appeared to be essentially outlined by the lights, with little bleedover outside the lines of play. “We’re going to make sure we have the same situation on our lighted fields,” he said. “Any lighting that is provided for the fields is going to stay on the fields.”

Late-night noise from competitions, he said, would more likely be generated within the planned full-size indoor all-sports facility. “I’m thinking outdoor fields, you’re probably looking at 10 o’clock at the latest,” Lobdell said. He said indoor events at their current indoor MTSports Complex on Middletown Warwick Road can run until midnight. Special events might occasionally take place that late at the proposed complex, he said, but outdoor events wouldn’t run past 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.

Mayor Ken Branner said council would make lighting and operating hours stipulations of the agreement, although he seemed to leave the door for future consideration of lights across from the Estates. The motion to approve the preliminary land development plan, he said, should include “that there be no lights in Phase III, unless you come back and request them as you expand to Phase III. And also, that the hours of operation for outdoor will stay consistent with what we’ve done with Little League and youth football. And they go off at 10.”

The motion passed unanimously.

Contact William H. McMichael at (302) 324-2812 or bmcmichael@delawareonline.com. On Twitter: @billmcmichael