Athletes aren’t the only ones thinking about picking up and moving on as the season winds down. USA Cycling is reportedly among a number of national governing bodies contemplating a change in venue if the U.S. Olympic Committee decides to demolish the building they share at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
USA Cycling is house-hunting in Colorado Springs, but also finds itself being courted by Ogden, Utah, according to a local newspaper.
"The reality is that the one of the two buildings we currently occupy, along with several other national governing bodies and USOC departments on the Olympic Training Center Complex, will be torn down at some point in the future, although there is no specific timeline on when that will happen. As a result, USA Cycling's headquarters will relocate, but it's premature to say when or where at this point,” communications coordinator Andy Lee told VeloNews.
“There is considerable interest from the Ogden community to relocate our headquarters there. However, that interest has not yet materialized into anything more than discussions at this point. We are also seeking opportunities that would allow USA Cycling to remain in Colorado Springs, but we have yet to find anything that will accommodate us at this point.
“It's really too early to speculate on when or where a potential move will occur, but we should have a better understanding of the situation in the coming months.”
Earlier this year, the town of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, tried to lure USA Cycling away from Colorado Springs, announcing that it was considering constructing an indoor velodrome. The 7-Eleven Velodrome in Colorado Springs is an outdoor facility.
Other NGBs that could be displaced if the wrecking ball swings include boxing, badminton, taekwondo, weightlifting and judo, along with the USOC’s administrative staff.
The USOC itself is considering shifting its headquarters from the 34-acre OTC, a converted U.S. Air Force base near downtown Colorado Springs that it has occupied since 1978.
USOC’s real-estate consultant, James H. Didion, recently toured downtown office towers in Chicago last month, seeking about 100,000 square feet of office space and about 3000 square feet of street-level retail or showroom space, according to a story in Crain’s Chicago Business.
The USOC has also been in discussions with Colorado Springs about 90,000 square feet of downtown office space and 200 new athlete residences, according to The Gazette.
City officials asked four local real-estate companies to submit proposals that would meet the USOC’s request, the newspaper reports.