The Hornets and the city of Charlotte are scheduled to start negotiating in '19 over a second round of Spectrum Center renovations, which would likely cost "many more millions," just three years after Charlotte City Council "agreed to spend" nearly $28M on improvements to the arena, according to a front-page piece by Peralta & Harrison of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The city’s agreement with the Hornets calls for the arena to be "kept up to an ever-evolving 'NBA standard,'" and also to "match improvements that have been made at half of NBA arenas." The proposed renovations of the Hawks' Philips Arena -- which opened in '99 -- are "likely to set the new standard in luxury for NBA arenas." It "begs the question: Will Charlotte try to one-up Atlanta?" Investing more to make the Spectrum Center the "crème de la crème of NBA facilities could impact negotiations between the Hornets and the city if the team seeks the new bells and whistles that its division-rivals will soon have." The team is "currently moving the box office to a street-level spot," and "relocating the fan shop from the ground level into a larger, more prominent space inside the building." City of Charlotte economic development advisor Ron Kimble, the city's former deputy manager, said, "We both have an interest in making sure we both have a top-notch arena." Kimble told City Council on Monday that the city "wouldn’t be able to spend" the full $43.5M requested by SMI CEO Marcus Smith to construct a new MLS stadium. The city could only afford $30M, in part because the city’s hospitality taxes "would be needed for other purposes, including the second phase of the Hornets’ arena upgrades" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 7/5).
