Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting and Stadium Renovation Public Hearing - June 17, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Charlotte City Council Zoning Meeting and Stadium Renovation Public Hearing - June 17, 2024
On June 17, 2024, the Charlotte City Council convened a special public comment session on the proposed $650 million renovation of Bank of America Stadium, followed by the regular zoning meeting. The stadium discussion drew extensive testimony, with the majority of speakers in support and a smaller number raising concerns about public subsidies and transparency. The zoning meeting addressed a consent agenda, multiple rezoning decisions, and public hearings on several petitions.
Consent Calendar
- Items 3 through 12 (consent agenda) were approved unanimously, except for Item 11 (2024-021 by Foundry Commercial), which was pulled by Councilmember Mayfield for discussion. After a brief exchange clarifying that the church would maintain the cemetery on the site, Item 11 was also approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
Bank of America Stadium Renovation (Special Session)
- Supporters: Dozens of speakers including Joe Bost (Charlotte Regional Business Alliance), Michael Smith (Center City Partners), Vineet Patel (Shree Hotels/CRVA board), Danny Morrison (Charlotte Sports Foundation), Kristen Peterson (local business owner), Sherry Neal (Southern Charm Rides), Tony Sahani (hotel owner), Welch Laues (Asana Partners), Allie Somerville (Ally Financial/CLT Alliance), Brian Pascal (Pascal Vince/Tepper Sports employee), Muhammed (former Panther), Scott Bryan (expressed some concerns but overall supportive), Stephanie Joyner (minority business advocate), Terrence Arnold (minority contractor), and Sebastian Filicek (Iron Workers) spoke in favor, citing economic impact, job creation, tourism benefits, and the need to keep the stadium competitive. Multiple references were made to the stadium drawing 1.8 million visitors annually and being a critical asset for small businesses.
- Opponents: Bobby Lord (resident) argued the city is paying 80% of costs without ownership or revenue share, calling the deal a "shakedown." Grace Fendrick (petition author) criticized lack of transparency and noted over 491 signatures opposing the plan. Thomas Dalton requested detailed public financial analysis. Sylvia Cobb questioned giving $650 million to a billionaire owner. Joseph Margolis compared the deal to fraud dynamics and urged more scrutiny. Others raised concerns about prior Tepper project issues (Rock Hill) and the need for stronger community benefit agreements.
- Details: The proposed investment uses hospitality taxes (hotel/motel and prepared food & beverage) extended by the General Assembly to 2060. The city’s contribution is fixed at $650 million; Tepper Sports & Entertainment would cover additional costs and operate the stadium. Non-relocation clause reported as 15 years (some speakers contested it). No ownership stake for the city.
Zoning Hearings
- Compact Residential Text Amendment (2024-067): Joseph Margolis opposed, arguing it would increase costs and reduce affordability; he suggested eliminating parking requirements and allowing more flexible development.
- Embrey Development (2024-029): Bridget Grant presented the petitioner’s case for 300 multifamily units (reduced from 350) with 10% at 80% AMI for 10 years, plus off-site sidewalk improvements. Staff opposed citing inconsistency with industrial/logistics place type. Council debated market reality vs. planning vision.
- McAlway Road Ventures (2024-041): No opposition; petitioner John Carmichael noted one community attendee and plans to address stormwater and fencing concerns.
- Paces Foundation (2023-124): Nolan Gross presented 120 age-restricted (55+) affordable units. Councilmember Brown noted resident concerns about traffic; petitioner agreed to add amenities (playground, seating) and continue community outreach.
- Eastwood Homes (2024-011): Brandon Pride-Moore presented 114 attached townhomes (115 originally) with 2.7 acres open space, 282 parking spaces (65% over code). District 4 coalition representative Juan Uven requested 25% rental cap and visitor parking enforcement. Staff noted legal limits on ownership conditions; petitioner agreed to include rental cap in CC&Rs. Council discussed alleyway maintenance, parking signage, and school capacity (Myers Park High at 119% capacity).
- Other Hearing Petitions: Items 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 had staff recommendations and were closed after brief presentations with minimal opposition.
Discussion Items
- Item 15 (RK Investments – 2022-121): Councilmember Driggs detailed a 18-month process leading to a compromise from 1,100 to 556 units, 32% tree save, traffic improvements, and green barriers. Approved unanimously after consistency statement included.
- Item 16 (CRD Elizabeth – 2023-033): Councilmember Anderson supported after community divided; staff explained changes including a $132,439.50 contribution to the Housing Trust Fund and height of 78 feet achieved via public benefits. Councilmember Mayfield opposed, citing neighborhood character and market-rate multifamily vacancy concerns. Approved 10–1.
- Item 17 (Panther Stadium LLC – 2024-031): Councilmember Graham outlined over three community meetings, reduced height from 95 to 70 feet, enhanced pedestrian connection, $60,000 tree fund, and $100,000 for Fraser Park improvements. Approved unanimously after minor post-committee changes were accepted without sending back to zoning committee.
- Items 18, 19, 20, 21 were approved with little debate; Councilmember Mayfield opposed Item 21 (2024-003 by ATAPCO) due to transportation access concerns on Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road.
Key Outcomes
- Deferrals: Items 13 (2022-224) and 22 (2024-035) deferred to August 19, 2024; Items 28 (2023-165) and 31 (2024-015) also deferred to August 19.
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (Items 3–12), with Item 11 separately approved.
- Decisions (Approved):
- Item 14 (Text Amendment 2024-033) – Approved.
- Item 15 (RK Investments) – Approved unanimously.
- Item 16 (CRD Elizabeth) – Approved 10–1 (Mayfield opposed).
- Item 17 (Panther Stadium) – Approved unanimously.
- Items 18, 19, 20 – Approved unanimously.
- Item 21 (ATAPCO) – Approved (Mayfield opposed).
- Hearings: All public hearings were closed. Petitions will proceed to the Zoning Committee on July 9, 2024, for recommendation.
- Next Steps: The Bank of America Stadium renovation proposal will be voted on at a future council meeting (scheduled for June 24, 2024, as referenced in testimony). Councilmembers noted need for continued community engagement for several pending items (e.g., Paces Foundation, Eastwood Homes, Gethsemane Cemetery).
Meeting Transcript
In the air, about forty-five degrees. And then scare the water. We do inspections, respond to emergencies, uh, work with outside, uh, police fire medic. Anyone that we need to coordinate our response to the emergency. We pick up FOD, which is for an object debris. So we're driving around today, anything that's on the ground that's trash, uh, can get pulled into an engine of an aircraft. We have a bunch of different lights around the airfield, they have different meanings, so making sure it's not moving, everything's attached firmly, nothing's broken, nothing's covering the light. Uh, throughout my fourth normal day is provide the training. And then we come on the airfield, do some practice, and they have two tests that we give them. So it's like a driving test. Yep, demonstrate that you can drive, you can talk, you're proficient, you're safe to be on the airfield. The best thing about my job is that we get to work outside and know they're the same. Um, all of our work is within a team. We're pretty close. Um, everyone knows each other, and uh, pretty relaxed. So there's always someone that you can turn to if you have a question or you need to work on the project. The airport is one of the biggest properties in the city, and it's uh big economic driver for the city of Charlotte. If we are doing our job, it should be open all year, it should be safe for the passengers to come, which then will contribute to the city as well. On a project that we are working through and around in all kinds of ways for it. So I want to say thank you for taking out your time today to share your thoughts and perspectives with us. We want to ensure that we have community input at the forefront of our decision. For the process this afternoon, I'd like to ask you to come down to the microphone when your name is called. Each person will have two minutes to speak. And when your time is up, you may leave additional remarks or anything else that you have written with our city clerk. Upon conclusion of our public comment session, council will have a break prior to beginning our rezoning meetings. So those of you who are fortunate enough to sit with two meetings of us this afternoon. We're really grateful that you show up at all. So thank you. On behalf of the City Council, I ask that all speakers and audience members be civil and courteous in their use of language. Speakers are encouraged to address council and should refrain from responding to each other in the audience. Likewise, our audience members, I hope each of you will be courteous to the speaker and not yell out or interrupt them. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be heard. So we're now going to introduce the council members who are joining us for the special meeting. And that will follow with the beginning of our public comment period regarding the Bank of America Stadium Improvements Project. So we'll start with our city clerk. I'm Dimfly, Charlotte City Councilwoman at large. Good afternoon, everyone's here on a brown Charlotte City Council District 3. Good afternoon, never one Jane Smith of City Council at large. Sean Heath, Assistant City Manager. I'm in Bayal House, and I serve as Mayor. Good afternoon, Dante Anderson, Mayor Pro Tim, District 1. Now from Graham District 2. Councilmember Ajmara, thank you for your Father's Day greeting. I am Ed Driggs from District 7. Good afternoon, Lewanama, City Council at Large. Happy Pride Month. Patrick Baker, City Attorney. All right. I'm going to invite we have two podiums downstairs, so I'm going to invite two people to come down and speak at a time. You will again have two minutes to make your remarks.
openpublica.com