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First renders show Hornets training facility is a skyscraper

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City staff on Monday shared a preview of a proposed training facility for the Charlotte Hornets in the downtown core.

Early renderings show a high-rise building for the NBA team where the existing Charlotte Transportation Center now stands, towering over the Spectrum Center.

The footage comes from a proposal from the Hornets and City of Charlotte staff last week to do $215 million in Spectrum Center renovations as well as a $60 million practice facility that would be paid for by the naming rights for a proposed new sports and entertainment district in the vicinity. Region.

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A high-rise building believed to contain a practice facility for the Charlotte Hornets stands next to the Spectrum Center in this rendering shown to city officials on Monday. Screenshot of the presentation of the city of Charlotte

District 7 Councilman Ed Driggs expressed concern late Monday that funding for the practice center was not set in stone.

Under the proposed agreement, the City of Charlotte would extend its lease with the Charlotte Hornets to 2045. The existing lease is set to expire in 2030. Under the proposed deal, the Hornets would begin paying $2 million a year in rent in 2030 and $1.1 million in capital investments beginning in 2024.

Construction is expected to start this summer on the renovations and the training center. The work could take four years.

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A rendering shows the interior of a proposed high-rise building in place of the Charlotte Transportation Center next to the Spectrum Center. The Charlotte Hornets would have an indoor training facility. Screenshot of the presentation of the city of Charlotte.

The city’s economic development committee discussed the project Monday afternoon, and city council followed suit at its regular meeting. A Charlotte City Council vote is scheduled for Monday, June 13. The public is permitted to register to speak during the public comment period at next week’s meeting.

Driggs and District 6 Councilor Tariq Bokhari both said they were concerned the council was not being transparent enough about the project.

“I want to keep the team here,” Driggs said. “I just think we still have a little bit of work to do to properly present this thing to the public.”

City of Charlotte Chief Financial Officer Teresa Smith said about 60% of public feedback received was positive.

The new training facility would include two full basketball courts, expanded locker rooms and healthcare space. Renderings show the training facility replacing the existing Charlotte Transportation Center, moving the bus facility underground.

The rest of the tower would be filled with parking and development “to be determined” on the upper floors.

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The design of a temporary bus station in downtown Charlotte. The existing Charlotte Transportation Center could become the site of a high-rise building. Screenshot of the presentation of the city of Charlotte

There will be a temporary bus station built over several years of construction on the transit and convenient facilities building, documents presented to the economic development committee show.

Plan B, according to the original presentation, is to build the training ground on the existing gravel pitch next to the stadium.

The money for the renovations will come from the city’s tourism dollars – car rental sales tax or hotel occupancy tax, for example – and will not affect the city’s overall budget, according to Smith.

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This image shows the Spectrum Center, where the Charlotte Hornets play, the Charlotte Transportation Center, and the Epicenter, which is up for sale. The city hopes that a renovated Spectrum Center, new practice facility, renovated transportation facility, and sale of the Epicenter will transform the area into a new Uptown neighborhood. City of Charlotte

The $215 million pool renovations would include:

  • entries
  • bathrooms
  • escalators
  • lifts
  • new HVAC systems
  • plumbing repairs
  • roof repairs

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 06:00.

Genna Contino covers local government for The Observer, where she works to inform and serve people living in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. She attended the University of South Carolina and grew up in Rock Hill.