Knights to make pitch for stadium money #CLT #CHARLOTTE #QUEENCITY

The Charlotte Knights baseball team is expected to ask the City Council’s economic development committee today for financial help in building a planned minor-league stadium in Third Ward.

City Council member James Mitchell, the committee chairman, has previously said he thought the Knights might ask for $7-$11 million toward the $55 million stadium.

The economic development committee meeting is set for 3 p.m. today in room 280 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St. in uptown. According to an agenda for the meeting, no action is required of the committee today after the presentation that is described as an update on the Knight’s progress on the planned stadium in Center City.

The Knights, a triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, currently play in Fort Mill, S.C. But the team has been trying to return to Charlotte for about a decade. The team has not yet lined up full financing for the project, which was delayed by a number of factors including lawsuits and the economy.

The Knights have a lease with Mecklenburg County to build a 10,000-seat stadium on county land bounded by South Graham, West Fourth and South Mint streets and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The county has previously approved up to $8 million for infrastructure work related to the stadium.

Under a lease extension approved by commissioners last year, the Knights cannot ask the county for additional money toward stadium construction. It also requires the team to make certain benchmarks, including securing at least two major corporate or “founding level” sponsors by March and submit a full financial plan for the stadium by June 30.

A recent study by UNC Charlotte professor John Connaughton suggested a new Knights stadium would be an economic boost for the community, including supporting 490 jobs in Mecklenburg County.

But some other economists are skeptical about whether an uptown stadium for the Knights would translate into a significant number of new jobs, apart from an increase in part-time ticket-takers, ushers and restaurant workers.

via charlotteobserver.com