Charlotte City Council approved the outline of an $800M renovation of Bank of America Stadium -- HOK (architect) -- ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLYTepper Sports & Entertainment
The Panthers and the city of Charlotte “perfected the two-minute offense when it comes to renovating Bank of America Stadium," but the seemingly "hurried" nature of the plan's rollout means “there’s been little opportunity for anyone to take a breath,” according to Joseph Person of THE ATHLETIC. Person wrote given the tenor of the meetings during the project’s unveiling and a public forum last week, the renovations “feel like they’re getting shoved down Charlotte’s collective throat.” The 11 members of
Charlotte’s city council yesterday passed an $800M renovation plan, which will be funded "more through taxpayers’ millions than" Panthers owner David Tepper’s billions. Person wondered what “safeguards are in place to assure
Tepper doesn’t pull another Rock Hill" and whether someone could “explain why Tepper ... will reap the benefits of a stadium makeover with relatively little skin in the game?” The city has “some level of protection from being Teppered, though not enough.” While Tepper has “moved on” from earlier visions of adding a dome or retractable roof and hosting a Super Bowl and Final Fours, these enhancements “will help modernize BoA." But that will “come at a big public cost, which might have been an easier sell if the deal didn’t feel like it was already done” (
THE ATHLETIC, 6/24).
MIXED FEELINGS: In a separate piece, Person noted that during yesterday's city council meeting, which "lasted nearly three-and-a-half hours," several council members "questioned the rushed nature of the process and whether the city should be in business with" Tepper. Council member Malcolm Graham "concede some members had 'trust issues' with Tepper ... because of the scrapped projects in Rock Hill and at the
Eastland Mall." Council member Tiawana Brown said the deal "sounds good until we get Mr. Tepper angry and then he might throw something at city council," while council member Dimple Ajmera said "the process was 'totally lacking transparency,' noting she had not been given appropriate time to study the terms of the deal." Person wrote that Graham said the city began "informal talks" with the Panthers "over 10 months in 2023" before formal talks began "last December in closed session" (
THE ATHLETIC, 6/24).
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