A rendering of the proposed athletic complex on Cascade Road in Saco.

A new athletic complex could be built on Cascade Road in Saco.

At a meeting on March 4, the Saco Planning Board heard an updated plan from the applicant, Atlantic Resource Consultants.

The complex, which is still in the early planning stages, would include a 75,000-square-foot athletic dome building and an outdoor turf field. The dome would include an indoor soccer field and six pickleball courts.

The project would be located on a 16.8 acre parcel of land on Cascade Road, an area that is already home to diverse businesses like amusement parks and offices.

Last week, Atlantic Resource Consultants asked for approval of phase 1 of the project, which includes the athletic dome building itself, and phase 2, which includes the turf field.

Phase 1 would not require a traffic movement permit, but phase 2 would. Approval of phase 2 would also be conditional upon receipt of a traffic movement study from Maine Department of Transportation.

The Planning Board did not grant approval to either phase last week, looking to clear up existing questions at future meetings.

“There’s a pretty good traffic consideration here that I’m a little concerned about,” Saco City Planner Emily Cole-Prescott said.

Ahead of last week’s meeting, the board attended a site walk of the Cascade Road lot, which board members said was “helpful” to visualize the project.

“It was good, we got to see some of the terrain and some of the wetlands,” Chair Matthew Provencal said. “A lot of the big picture items we were able to see and observe.”

One of the big questions surrounding the project is whether the project would fit into the neighborhood aesthetically.

Silas Canavan, a civil engineer with Atlantic Resource Consultants, said it would.

“We think the building does fit,” Canavan said. “It’s different than some of the buildings that are out here, but we feel that it fits the vibe of the neighborhood.”

Another issue surrounding the project is noise.

According to board members, abutters of the property, which includes a campground, have concerns about what noise and traffic would be like if the project was built.

“I think the noise is going to cause issues for the abutter,” board member Cari-Lyn Lane said.

Ultimately, the Saco Planning Board did not make any decisions regarding the project, instead choosing to table the discussion until an undetermined upcoming meeting.