Opening Day April 2014

The stars appear to be aligning for the proposed Charlotte Knights Baseball Stadium to be built in the Third Ward of downtown Charlotte.

The first piece of news was the fact that the Knights have achieved the goal of getting two corporate sponsors.  While they weren't publicly named enough was divulged to convince the county that they had met that first milestone.

There was some speculation that the Knights were in negotiation with Duke Energy for the naming rights to the stadium, and with the proximity of the stadium to Duke's concentration of buildings, it would not surprise me if that is one of the corporate sponsors.

The second piece of news is the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce officially supporting the plan that the stadium will deliver significant development and opportunities in an area that does not produce much tax revenue. 

The third piece of news is that the staff is recommending that the city support the efforts to build the stadium to the tune of $9 million dollars.  While this is less than the Knights requested, it represents a significant positive.  The Charlotte City Council will vote on that later this month. 

Jerry Reese has also filed another lawsuit to try to block the stadium.  His past 5 lawsuits were all lost, and his 5 appeals of the lawsuit also lost.  The most significant effect of these lawsuits was the delay in moving forward with this project.

The construction of the Romare Bearden Park is underway, and the entire feel of the Third Ward is changing.  Take a walk down the now two-way Mint Street and you can feel the possibilities building.  As this neighborhood develops, all property in downtown Charlotte will enjoy a renewed increase in property values.