Fun City Adventure Park could be headed to Rocky Hill

The owner of the Fun City chain of trampoline parks has a new location in mind: The former Porter and Chester Institute building in Rocky Hill.

Jun Zhang of Fall River, Mass. is proposing to convert the 57,000-square-foot building into an entertainment complex similar to the one he opened in New Britain three years ago.

"We are a family-oriented entertainment center that includes trampolines, arcades, rope courses, playgrounds, kids’ rock climbing, ninja courses, foam pits, battle beams and much more," Zhang wrote in a recent application to the town's planning and zoning commission.

The building at 30 Waterchase Drive is in the strip center anchored by Namco, a prime location for an entertainment complex since it's just off the Silas Deane Highway and only a block or two from an I-91 exit.

"We are 100 percent committed to trying to come to Rocky Hill," Zhang said Wednesday.

If the project goes through, it would be Zhang's 15th trampoline park location and his third in Connecticut, he said. His other location in the state is in Hamden under the name Funz Trampoline Park.

At a hearing last week, Zhang told the commission that his entertainment park in Rocky Hill would be a benefit for the town.

"Our proposed use would be a great addition to the city for more family and community activity," Zhang said.

No residents asked questions at the hearing, but several commissioners questioned how popular the facility could become. Zhang said the winter is the peak season, with spring and summer a bit slower.

When asked about potential crowd totals during peak periods of the day, Zhang predict there would be an all-out maximum of 300 children at a time.

"Our architect said it can fit over 1,000. For safety I’d think we would bring it down," he said.

There is more than enough parking to accommodate a peak period of 300 cars, Zhang said. Other businesses in the plaza operate primarily on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while Fun City's busiest hours are nights and weekends, he said.

"Every park is going to be a little different just because of where the poles, the electrical room, the bathrooms are laid out," he said. "This one's a little bigger, it's a huge size. We’re going to try to add more things, make certain things a little bigger."

In response to a question, Zhang said that his parks have a central ramp for handicapped accessibility, and offer activities for the handicapped even though trampolines cannot be made safely accessible.

The company's application did not specify when the Rocky Hill facility is targeted for opening.

Fun City operates similar parks in New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and elsewhere.

Parents pay an admission fee for youngsters to jump on trampolines. Rates at the New Britain location are $18 for a one-hour jump, $24 for an hour and a half and $28 for two hours. The park has a separate area restricted to toddlers, and admission for them is lower.

The facility requires a liability waiver signed by parents. Closing hours usually range from 9 to 11 p.m. during the school year, and are earlier in the summer.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will vote later this spring on whether to grant a special permit and site plan approval for Zhang's project.

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