MLS in Charlotte - 2021

[CLT704]

31 minutes ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

http://www.espncharlotte.net/could-mls-be-in-uptown/

The plot thickens..  Thoughts on a stadium in Uptown?

THIS!!  Hal Marshall tract would be perfect and act as a catalyst for development around North Tryon. 

[hambone931]

2 hours ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

espncharlotte.net

seems legit

[deleted]

That's a great site and the views would be extraordinary.  I always thought that would be a great place for an eventual MLB stadium.  That said, I love the neighborhood around Memorial and that stadium needs work BECAUSE it's historic.  If the neighborhood doesn't want the stadium or it doesn't work for another reason, this site would be a great option.  There are a lot of advantages to this site so I wouldn't complain a bit if this happens...

[kermit]

Hal Marshall for MLS feels to me like a serious waste of uptown land that can eventually be developed in a very dense way. The beauty in the Memorial site is that it will never be used for anything other than a mid-sized stadium -- so the MLS is likely the 'highest and best" use of that parcel. God knows that CPCC expansion into that parcel (the other possible alternative) ain't gonna do anything to make Elizabeth a nicer place to live.

Edited January 16, 2017 by kermit

[SgtCampsalot]

I am normally the one to call a rock historic in Charlotte, and not to mention the one to not see the value of professional sports, but the fact that a parcel this big in downtown is even available for a pro Soccer stadium after so many many decades of growth, and with prestigious skyline views to boot, seems like kismet to me.

Edited January 16, 2017 by SgtCampsalot

[SentioVenia]

21 hours ago, hambone931 said:

seems legit

Yeah, what the heck is this website?!

[tozmervo]

I've heard that the Hal Marshall site has some complications that would make it problematic for construction in the near future (specifically, some of the adjacent parcel land ownership). The stadium couldn't fit wholly within Charlotte-owned land there, so adjacent parcels have to be taken into consideration. Rerouting College Street would also be a problem.

On a different note, the elephant in the room: Near term, all this talk hinges on whether or not Charlotte is awarded an MLS team at all. While I agree that many things are working in Charlotte's favor, how likely is MLS to pass over North Carolina entirely due to HB2?

[tusculan]

The biggest drawback that I see from this location is the need to reroute the traffic from N. College. But this doesn't seem insurmountable as there are simply the two lanes of traffic that are heading onto 277. I think as S. College springs from S. Tryon, the best solution would just be to fold those lanes of traffic onto 9th and then onto Tryon around the west side of any proposed stadium. This traffic deviation might even be nice as it allows the Blue Line ext and the Charlotte Rail Trail to be the 'front' of the stadium.

Edited January 16, 2017 by tusculan

[SgtCampsalot]

I'd personally rather avoid any further obstruction to Charlotte's original street grid. Plus Memorial Stadium is already sandwiched between CPCC land and two parks that won't be negatively affected by a mega block. If a mega block is created at Hal Marshall, it will dominate the future identity of N Tryon and First Ward.

[Jack152]

21 hours ago, SentioVenia said:

Yeah, what the heck is this website?!

It's the official site for ESPN 730 in Charlotte.

Yes, we actually have two sports radio stations here, believe it or not.

Edited January 17, 2017 by Jack152

[jednc]

On 1/16/2017 at 11:39 AM, tozmervo said:

how likely is MLS to pass over North Carolina entirely due to HB2?

 

Wouldn't they say that up front if it were an issue for them? Why encourage a bid if they have no intention of considering an NC city?

[Green_man]

Some thoughts from a soccer fan in Raleigh:

• With Cooper as gov, HB2 will get repealed.  Not a matter of if, but when.  
• $100 million public funds in Charlotte for the stadium!  Whoa, would that get approved?!?!
• Raleigh stadium and expansion fee will be fully-financed by the owner.  City will be on the hook for some utility and infrastructure improvements.  This alone probably makes the Raleigh bid more realistic.
• That Hal Marshall tract is probably a better site than anything Raleigh can come up with.  Finding large enough, undeveloped plots in downtown Raleigh seems to be a bit more difficult.
• The NWSL team is actually probably a help to the Raleigh MLS bid.  All other NWSL teams are co-owned with MLS clubs.

[SouthEndCLT811]

On 1/15/2017 at 11:24 AM, SouthEndCLT811 said:

http://www.espncharlotte.net/could-mls-be-in-uptown/

The plot thickens..  Thoughts on a stadium in Uptown?

On the latest podcast from ESPN Charlotte radio, the person who wrote the article states a county commissioner e-mailed him and mentioned the Hal Marshall site was discussed but it would have a 0% chance of happening due to the lack of use for the area.

Edited January 18, 2017 by SouthEndCLT811

[deaconator]

Just to kind of bridge the conversation going on over on the BLE thread - there seems to be a fair amount of agreement that the Hal Marshall site would be a bad use of the property and 4 stadiums inside 277 is basically overkill (not quoting just kind of summarizing what I got out of it) - and also that Memorial is our only option right now but NODA or optimist park could be even better in a perfect world.

Here's what I'd add - let's dig up the whole Queens Park concept and orient everything else around it. It would be the greatest thing to ever happen to Charlotte - integrating a huge urban oasis park, the Blue Line, ultimately linking with Amtrak and Gateway and future rail destinations, hopefully a progressing 1st ward/north end, an MLS site....

Let's nail this down in two weeks so we can get that soccer stadium ...[emoji108]

And all of a sudden Charlotte is a world-class, transit oriented, urban euro feeling, tourist destination, queen of the south. [emoji14]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[atlrvr]

In this case, perfect is the enemy of good.  Political wrangling is all about arguing over the ideal, while the reality is Memorial Stadium is the only viable site that SHOULD get majority council and commissioner support in the next few weeks that would also be obviously a strong location to MLS.  The reality, MLS doesn't want to stimulate an area, the want the stadium already in an area that will maximize attendance by millennials.

 

[deleted]

3 hours ago, deaconator said:

And all of a sudden Charlotte is a world-class, transit oriented, urban euro feeling, tourist destination, queen of the south.

This is a great post.

[HopHead]

From the sounds of this article, Memorial Stadium location is really the only place in discussion for the MLS stadium. Mecklenburg County commissioners have worked to reduce the city/county commitment from $100M to $87.5M (still too high in my book). The Smith family would be on the hook for roughly half the $175M construction costs now. Obviously this is still up for further discussion and vote but looks like progress is being made on a possible agreement. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/01/19/proposalclt-soccer-stadium-cost-slightly-lower-for.html

[SouthEndCLT811]

44 minutes ago, HopHead said:

From the sounds of this article, Memorial Stadium location is really the only place in discussion for the MLS stadium. Mecklenburg County commissioners have worked to reduce the city/county commitment from $100M to $87.5M (still too high in my book). The Smith family would be on the hook for roughly half the $175M construction costs now. Obviously this is still up for further discussion and vote but looks like progress is being made on a possible agreement. 

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/01/19/proposalclt-soccer-stadium-cost-slightly-lower-for.html

Even as a soccer fan thank goodness this will be put to a vote next week and whether we're going full on for MLS now will be decided.

Edited January 19, 2017 by SouthEndCLT811

[deaconator]

I was already finding it hard to believe that all parties involved would be able to get their act together by January 31st.  After reading that article, they actually made it sound logistically impossible that this will happen in time?

There must be more to the story behind closed doors though, because why would they be wasting their time otherwise.  Maybe multiple cities are asking for an extension..who knows.  Seems like it would be in the best interest of the MLS to extend the deadline unless they already have a good idea of what what they are going to with their franchises.  

[SouthEndCLT811]

25 minutes ago, deaconator said:

I was already finding it hard to believe that all parties involved would be able to get their act together by January 31st.  After reading that article, they actually made it sound logistically impossible that this will happen in time?

There must be more to the story behind closed doors though, because why would they be wasting their time otherwise.  Maybe multiple cities are asking for an extension..who knows.  Seems like it would be in the best interest of the MLS to extend the deadline unless they already have a good idea of what what they are going to with their franchises.  

This is just a facet to the whole thing and the Smith's have been quiet on the rest of the process.  If the vote happens on the 26th as the county stated and it's approval for Memorial then I think the city has the easier part following suit of allocating the tourism tax funds.  Definitely achievable by the 31st.  The actual votefor expansion doesn't happen till later in the year so I am sure we wouldn't be the only city still dotting the i's on the stadium deals.

[go_vertical]

That article has me feeling very positive that this will work out barring an unseen wrench tossed in from left field. It sounds like the city/county are really bullish since I'm sure they are aware that it's now or 15-20 years from now. This is exciting.

[deleted]

^^

As a small "l" reformed libertarian, I'm ashamed of myself for how much I want the city and county to use tax dollars to subsidize a billionaires vanity project...but I can't help myself.

[tusculan]

1 minute ago, JBS said:

^^

As a small "l" reformed libertarian, I'm ashamed of myself for how much I want the city and county to use tax dollars to subsidize a billionaires vanity project...but I can't help myself.

Just because you are a libertarian does not mean, I hope anyway, that we are reduced to living in a hovel. There can be legitimate uses of public funds that have a tangible if only indirect public benefit.

[deleted]

Just now, tusculan said:

Just because you are a libertarian does not mean, I hope anyway, that we are reduced to living in a hovel. There can be legitimate uses of public funds that have a tangible if only indirect public benefit.

I'm a reformed libertarian...meaning I now understand that it wouldn't be pleasant living in a libertarian utopia.  What I pay extra in taxes I easily get back in home value and enjoyment.

[go_vertical]

24 minutes ago, JBS said:

^^

As a small "l" reformed libertarian, I'm ashamed of myself for how much I want the city and county to use tax dollars to subsidize a billionaires vanity project...but I can't help myself.

Very much agree. I'm not extremely happy thinking about my tax dollars helping another billionaire aquire yet another toy when I know that money could really help elsewhere, but I WILL attend the occasional MLS game and I'm confident the area will see benefits in additional growth and higher tax revenue. Plus, I absolutely feel this location is perfect for what is being proposed.