Roller hockey center is coming to north Modesto. Room for public skating as well
A roller hockey center is coming to Modesto and will have some time set aside for public skating, a co-owner said.
The Power Play center off Bangs Avenue, at Galaxy Way, will feature two separate rinks in a 60,800-square-foot facility, along with a pro shop, locker rooms, kitchen, party rooms and offices. It’s similar but larger than the Powerplay Sports Arena that was operated in Ripon by Daniel Costa, son of Modesto entrepreneur Dan Costa, and other associates.
Costa Limited Partners is owner of the Bangs Avenue property.
Youth and adult roller hockey leagues for men and women, co-ed teams, high schoolers and children will compete in the new facility, which also will be open to customers wanting to roller-skate. Daniel Costa said Friday he believes demand is strong for roller hockey and expects to open the north Modesto center in 12 months.
“Right now, for roller hockey, there is only Sonora and Oakland, and it’s too far to have the time to play,” Costa said. “The community is here in Modesto. People still play hockey, and since Roller King went away, no one has been able to skate.”
The Stanislaus County Planning Commission approved a rezone for the project Thursday evening. In addition to the indoor hockey facility, the Costa family has a development plan that allows for construction of seven other buildings for light industry or commercial uses on 9.3 acres.
Costa said the roller hockey center has priority and will be built first. The other buildings will range in size from 7,000 to 12,000 square feet and share a 364-space parking lot.
About 175 daily customers are expected at the roller hockey rink, with about 100 at one time during public skating. Hours of operation will be 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
Costa said he doesn’t know yet how many hours will be open for public roller skating. The center wants to offer hockey leagues for different ages and various skill levels from beginners to advanced. “I would like to have multiple days in the week (for skating customers). We will definitely have Saturday and Sunday nights for the open skate crowd,” he said.
The Ripon Powerplay arena, which closed in 2018, was a single rink, which limited options. But the two rinks in Modesto will allow for more variety, Costa said.
The development site was previously the location of a two-story industrial facility operated by Indalex Aluminum, which ceased operation in 2009. The abandoned facility became notorious in the desperate days of the economic downturn, as metal scavengers stripped the building until most of it was gone.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Toxic Substances finished a cleanup of liquid wastes at the site 10 years ago, according to agenda documents for Thursday’s meeting.
The 9.3-acre development was referred to city of Modesto because it’s in the city sphere of influence. The city provided written support for the project and an out-of-boundary service agreement will be required for water service.
