Developer gets green light from Penn Hills council to proceed on soccer field project

Soccer teams could have another place to play in Penn Hills.

The municipality’s council unanimously approved a resolution Jan. 11 that gave developers the green light to move forward with a project that transforms around 36 acres of vacant land along Hunter Road into a “first class” soccer destination.

The two fields, along with a planned concession stand, restroom, landscaping and storage facility, will sit on property near Penn Hills Community Park. There are currently plans to include just over 100 parking spaces and possibly lights for the fields.

Dino Folino, the owner of the land and the developer behind the project, hopes the fields become a destination for local soccer clubs — but he said the fields could also be used for other sports, such as field hockey, lacrosse and flag football.

“Local soccer clubs in Western Pennsylvania are looking for fields all the time to rent and call their home,” Folino said.

The Penn Hills native did not grow up playing soccer. He played football at Pittsburgh Central Catholic. But his three daughters have played soccer for a number of years.

“They’re very much involved in the game,” he said. “And it’s gotten me involved, too.”

He bought the property, which is made up of three parcels, in May 2017 for around $170,000, according to Allegheny County real estate records.

“I thought it’d be a good site. And I saw soccer as a good possibility,” he said.

Folino, 48, of Fox Chapel said he has already been approached by a couple of soccer clubs who would “move in” to the fields.

Before any of that happens, Folino will need to find enough dirt to fill the valley that exists right where the fields need to be. He declined to say how much the project, which will also require permits from the state Department of Environmental Department, will cost. He only said the project will be a “significant cost.”

Jacob Catt, a KU Resources Inc. agent representing Folino, said the project will require 160,000 cubic yards of fill.

Chris Blackwell, the municipality’s planning director, said if one dump truck holds 20 cubic yards of fill, that means there will be 8,000 truckloads.

“So it’s a lot but … I don’t think Penn Hills would ever turn down the possibility of recreational opportunities,” Blackwell said, adding the planning department ensured the project would be “first class” by negotiating the existence of restrooms, a concession stand, adequate parking and nice landscaping.

Folino said he is willing to provide a first-class venue. And he is not worried about finding the fill needed to build level playing fields. He works as vice president of Oakmont-based Folino Construction, a family-owned construction company founded more than 50 years ago.

“In the construction business, we have the ability to get fill quite often,” Folino said.

Mayor Pauline Calabrese said she loves the project.

“I think it is very exciting to think that we would have this new facility and it would bring people from outside in to Penn Hills and they can see how beautiful we are,” she said.

Council delayed the vote that prohibited parking on both sides of Colorado Street, the road that leads traffic to Penn Hills Community Park and Penn Forest Natural Burial Park.

Councilman Jim Getsy said he needs to visit the site before he can make any decisions.

Other council members said they don’t want to prohibit parking for the people who park along the street for burials.

The no-parking condition was added by the Planning Commission, along with a condition that the fields will not be used for tournaments and the developer get permission from Peoples Natural Gas to place fill over a gas line that runs through the property.

Catt said they have spoken with Peoples Natural Gas and have been given permission to proceed.

Folino said the “no tournament” condition is to prevent too many teams from being present on the fields at once, which would cause parking and traffic concerns.

Catt said the next step for the project is to submit applications for permits through the DEP and to develop site plans, which will need to be approved by the municipality’s Planning Commission.

Folino and Catt have said they hope construction can begin in 2021.