The Charlotte City Council and Mecklenburg County officials are considering a massive new sports complex in the River District Development that could draw major tennis tournaments, but would require big public subsidies.
At a joint meeting Wednesday, officials reviewed plans on for a new, mega-sports complex at the Crescent Communities development, underway on 1,400 acres west of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
“Project Break Point” proposes a plan to build a new facility that could host major tennis events. Along with a large tennis stadium, there are also plans to also build nearly 40 courts that would also be available to the public during non-event weekends.
The project would cost an estimated $400 million, with the developers asking the city, county and state to pick up a third of the tab — about $133 million.
Developers said the new tennis facility could potentially bring to Charlotte the Western & Southern Open, a major professional tournament currently held in Mason, Ohio, that features some of the world's best players.
The new project would be similar to LTP Daniel Island in Charleston, South Carolina.
Ford Perry, chief operating officer at Beemok Capital — the group behind the tennis proposal — said the cost of the project is still preliminary.
“We expect this project to cost in excess of $400 million,” he said. "We are bringing to the table a lot to contribute to that at a minimum two-thirds of the financing for the project including any cost overruns for the project.”
City Council members seemed receptive to the plan. After the presentation Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs indicated he saw the project's potential, but wants to evaluate the investment carefully.
“I'm going to be very analytical about it and make sure that we do get the right kind of value in each dimension of the possible funding sources, because $130 million is a lot of money,” Driggs said.
“The public just needs to understand that we do have a process for deciding, determining that the value is there, and that this is justified. And that the incidence of the cost of people who will bear the cost will also see the benefits,” he added.
Assistance from the city and county could also include prioritization to speed up required permits and needed infrastructure for the district.