Raleigh Stadium/Arena/Sports Discussions

If MLS expands to 32 teams, would be amazing to have teams in both Raleigh and Charlotte! Already quite the rivalry in the USL Champ division (despite being somewhat one-sided).

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I paid 19.99 for a year’s worth of access to the N&O back on cyber Monday. It’s really cheap if you ask me.

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I do think that stadiums can boost economic activity overall but it does make sense that much of the development around them is “shifted” from elsewhere.

That said, I can think of few places in Raleigh that would be a better spot to “shift” development to.

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There are definitely some broken records around here questioning the viability of a stadium at penmarc with the “pro-sports stadiums don’t spur development” argument.

What about when we were vying for HQ2 and doubters said “we’re not getting HQ2, we have no culture. We don’t even have a pro sports team downtown”.

We voted for the tourism/culture building tax for proposals exactly like this. As someone said previously, a rising tide raises all ships. Worrying about development being shifted from downtown to 1.5 miles south of downtown is ridiculous to me, because eventually it will all be connected. The Peace project is 1.4 miles from FNB tower!

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I don’t know that I understand what you mean here. Do you think that this development will steal development from elsewhere?
If so, I disagree. Raleigh is growing so fast that we must look for places where the city can grow most effectively. This area is clearly a prime location where Raleigh can continue to grow within its existing footprint.

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better than SE Raleigh?

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Agreed. It would be awesome if sometime down the road there were MLS teams in both Raleigh and Charlotte.

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In a literal sense that’s true, but when election time comes voters can decide if they like the way the commission is spending this money, though I wouldn’t expect it to be the leading issue in any given election. My (perhaps naive) hope is that the commissioners would consider what the residents want when making these decisions.

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Well, so that’s what most analysis shows when it comes to stadiums. Like, if there were going to be 1,000,000 square feet of new office development, that won’t change because the stadium is built. That’s because (as you know) the amount of new development is determined by supply and demand. However, the actual location might change because of the stadium. This is often because the stadium creates “cachet” to a particular location and/or because the developer of the stadium also builds mixed-use (as is the case with Kane).

In this case, I’m not sure if it matters because as you say Penmarc is a prime location that will be redeveloped with or without a stadium. But, it’s possible that development will go there before it goes to Cargill or Capital, or even DT proper, even though all of those areas are due for redevelopment in the nearish future.

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I did as well. Its was a fantastic deal if you ask me!

Ditto. Although I’m paying 4 bucks and change a month right now. Seems like most can swing that.

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Maybe I’m the only one laughing at this article. “New hotel would be near Carter Finely, PNC Arena”

“Home2 Suites Raleigh, a Hilton hotel, would compete with nearby Wingate by Wyndham and Hyatt Place Raleigh West”

These Hotels are 2 MILES AWAY FROM ANY STADIUM. 2 MILES
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2019/03/21/new-hotel-would-be-near-carter-finley-pnc-arena.html?iana=hpmvp_trig_news_headline

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The PNC/Carter Finley lot is begging for some “Wolfpack Live!” style bar/restaurant/hotel development, but I have to believe the Centennial Authority has a very outdated mindset about it.

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There was supposed to be a hotel (boutique probably) over at inside wade and more retail development but I don’t know what ever happened to the hotel and they got the retail parcel changed to more apartments.
There’s also a huge parcel at Edwards Mill and Reedy Creek that’s begging to be developed.
Could easily set up a shuttle between the arena and there

I’m not sure if the Penmarc area has been speculative for the Kane/Malik development to date but I spoke to a Kane representative early this afternoon that basically confirmed that is the location.

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I am double biased having properties in SE Raleigh and growing up in Europe with Soccer all around but here are my two cents. Sorry for repeating some of the arguments:

I believe that Soccer has the momentum and will only gain in popularity. The US team is on an upward swing, American football is associated with health risks these days and many kids now grow up playing soccer and will likely follow the sport when adults. I can see soccer become increasingly cool and a growing Hispanic population likes it too. Our peer cities have or will get an MLS stadium and Raleigh needs 1) more stuff to do and 2) any bit of cachet. marquee, we can get. Btw how cool would be a derby between Raleigh and Charlotte on MLS level.

I understand most arguments here against but as a pro growth community with a healthy vision this should be a no brainer. Will we automatically get an MLS team? – No. Is the ROI guaranteed? – No. Is it fair to give millionaires like Kane and Malik tax subsidies to develop the land and run the facility? – Debatable. However a joint private/public support behind this endeavor would certainly increases our MLS chances.

Out of the listed alternatives this project has the biggest ROI potential if you consider property tax. What about the alternatives? Marbles announced an expansion well before this beauty contest and I think it will do the expansion with or without the funds. A renovated PNC arena would be nice but the location is not. What is the trickle down effect around PNC Arena compared to Kane/Malik’s vision for Penmarc?

Will Kane/Malik develop the land anyway? Likely but I rather have it assured and our best possible chance for a future MLS team

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Well said! Thank you! :grinning:

I agree with almost all your points. Just generally against giving millionaire public money to build stadiums that they will profit from. That’s not a Raleigh issue but a nationwide issue.

I would not be opposed to committing to give some funding, but contingent on actually landing a franchise.

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So, I’ve been a stadium nerd most of my life—mainly baseball. And, I’ve noticed the evolution of stadiums through the years go from super cool (IMO) urban/cramped/angular/intimate to multi-sport concrete donuts to build-into-existing-industrial-infrastructure to megasuite palaces with bouncy castles.

Now, especially with owners clamoring for public money, the emphasis seems to be on the following:

  • Activate the building throughout the year to make it a better investment for the city, better land use
  • Integrate it into a mixed-use district (a la North Hills)
  • Maximize stadium revenue by selling suites to corporate clientele (keep the bouncy castles, and throw in some craft beer for the younger crowds)

I’ve thought about this a lot, and what if mixed use corporate/residential suites could actually be built into the stadium itself? If you were a business owner and could afford it, would you splurge for an office suite with this kind of view? Or, again if you could afford it, what about buying a diamond-view condo? Or maybe hotel rooms like Toronto’s stadium? This kind of design helps fund the suites, keep the building activated and full, perhaps spurs economic activity because people live/work there, and if you have one of these suites, you get that cachet we’re talking about. Anyway, just a thought…imagine these “towers” around the field being these suites…

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Hmmm… how about also designing into the building a life after sports death repurposing? Stadiums tend to have about a 30 year shelf life before owners start clamoring for new ones (even shorter in some cases) but what if instead of knocking them down there’s a way to transform them into retail office or residential space.

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