Charlotte City Council members are "lukewarm about funding a new soccer stadium" for an MLS club, according to Steve Harrison of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. Five council members have said that they "oppose the proposal" to build in the city's Elizabeth neighborhood. One more “no” vote would "derail the plan" to have the city kick in $43.75M toward the $175M stadium. Council members said that there are a "number of reasons they are wary, including a rushed process and a lack of public input." They are also concerned about SMI Exec Chair Bruton Smith’s "feud with Concord nearly a decade ago" over his plans to build a drag strip there. Mecklenburg County commissioners could vote tomorrow on the proposal to "have the county also pay" $43.75M, while the City Council "could vote Friday" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/25). In Charlotte, Erik Spanberg noted for more than two hours yesterday afternoon, county commissioners "heard from a mix of citizens about the pros and cons" of spending $43.75M of taxpayer money to help pay for the 20,000-seat soccer stadium. An "unofficial count" of 41 people spoke, "divided by plenty of strong sentiments on both sides." MLS bids for expansion are "due Jan. 31," and because of the tight deadline, county and city politicians and administrators "spent the past five weeks scrambling to find a way to help pay for the stadium." Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio told commissioners and the Government Center audience that MLS President & Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott "called her Monday to say the league has been excited by the flurry of support and activity surrounding a possible Charlotte bid" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/24).
TWO FOR THE MONEY: A CHARLOTTE OBSERVER editorial stated that two questions "should drive local elected leaders" as they consider an MLS proposal. The first: "What’s the very least amount of taxpayer dollars we can commit and still make this deal happen?" The second: "Is that amount, in the end, the best use of that money?" An MLS club would be a "nice addition to Charlotte’s landscape." Local leaders should "work to make it happen with a deal that would make sense for both taxpayers and Smith’s investment group," which is being led by his son, SMI President & CEO Marcus Smith. But the "one on the table isn’t it" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/24).
EVERYBODY WANTS SOME: In Cincinnati, Tweh & Brennan note while USL club FC Cincinnati has no "immediate plans to 'veer away' from Nippert Stadium as its home field," MLS' interest in franchises having their own stadium is "driving the organization to identify sites where one could be built." The club is "expected to provide a list of Greater Cincinnati sites to MLS where a new soccer stadium and related facilities could be built." But one Cincinnati site -- the former home of Milacron Holdings -- is "likely to get a long look from team officials based on its potential to meet MLS requirements." FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding said that the stadium site search will not "detract from the franchise's investments" in Nippert at the Univ. of Cincinnati. A more than $2M project is underway at the stadium to "reconfigure its lower bowl so the field can meet standards set" by FIFA (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 1/25).
