The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors approved on May 14, SOCA’s request for two special use permits which will allow the club to build state-of-the-art facilities in the Belvedere neighborhood located off of Rio Road East.

The permits will allow for an all-weather lit field and two mini-soccer courts to be constructed just a few blocks from the Belvedere Village Green, and for five natural grass playing fields to be provided in the floodplain overlooking the Rivanna River.

Previously approved are the SOCA offices and indoor arena which will abut the prime Village Green location. 

“This is a great day for SOCA.  All the pieces are now in place so that we can pursue final designs and the funding required to make our dream home a reality” said Bill Mueller, SOCA’s Executive Director.  “We’ve been pursuing the idea of a permanent home for three years, and have now passed a major milestone.  We are all delighted with the unanimous support of the Supervisors.  The partnership with Belvedere is a perfect match; each of us will benefit from having the SOCA facilities woven into the plan of the neighborhood.”

SOCA will next embark on a fundraising campaign designed to bring the arena and offices on-line in the autumn of 2010.  Parcels of land for each component of the SOCA facilities have already been donated by Stonehaus, the Belvedere developer.  Simultaneously, final designs of all SOCA facilities will be completed for county staff approval.

The Belvedere neighborhood is a unique design based on the notion of a walkable community with a town center, civic core, and recreational amenities located throughout.  For more information on Belvedere visit Belvedereneighborhood.com.