Council Quickies: Hornets Practice Facility Ready for Construction with New Lease Deal

Charlotte City Council held an action review, public forum and business meeting on Monday night. It wasn’t the type of meeting that’s going to generate a lot of headlines, but there was still plenty happening. Below, we report on some of the more notable discussions and decisions of the night.  

On the Agenda: 

• ARPA and Faith in Housing Updates
• Public Forum
• Hornets Practice Facility and Other Business Items

ARPA and Faith in Housing Updates

In his presentation on American Rescue Plan Act funding remaining from 2021, assistant city manager Shawn Heath said the city currently has $28.3 million in remaining funds that need to be assigned for spending before the deadline of Dec. 31, at which time they would be reclaimed by the federal government.

The money has already been assigned to certain categories by city council and staff but specific contracts haven’t been finalized. 

For example, the city has already planned to spend $6 million of the remaining ARPA funding on anti-displacement programs, $4.5 million on a multi-family affordable housing development in partnership with DreamKey Partners, $3 million on workforce development, $2.7 million in digital inclusion, $1.5 on the city’s Faith in Housing initiative, and $500,000 on economic development projects.   

Only $4.8 million is expected to be voted on for contract agreements before the deadline. The rest may need “a longer runway,” Heath said. 

Heath explained that the city can enact a revenue replacement plan to put the ARPA funds toward more immediate spending items that the general fund was set to support, then use the city’s general fund later on for the projects that ARPA was set aside for when they’re ready.

LaWana Mayfield kicked off a presentation on the Faith in Housing initiative, launched in January of this year to better equip local faith-based organizations that work to create affordable housing development in Charlotte. Such partnerships have led to the construction of 700 new affordable housing units in the city since 2014.

According to Monday night’s presentation, the mission of the initiative is to equip these faith-based organizations “with the support, resources, partnerships and expertise to successfully navigate the complexities of affordable housing development … empowering them to activate their collective resources and congregations in support of innovative solutions to community needs.”

Mayfield said she plans to ask for $1 million more than the planned $1.5 million set aside in ARPA funding for the initiative as she looks to expand the work the city is doing, which has recently included information sessions like the virtual session scheduled for Oct. 29. You can learn more about how to get involved at the city’s website. 

Public Forum

One speaker at Monday night’s public forum suggested that the city take another approach in addressing re-entry and employment for justice-involved people. He says there are plenty of nonprofits that are paid to hold workshops offering help for justice-involved folks seeking employment, but there simply aren’t enough employment opportunities for them out there. 

He pointed out that successful reentry services impact the city’s economic mobility, gun violence, and any number of other issues.  

A cabin cleaner w/ ABM Airline Services at Charlotte Douglas International Airport addressed council about the harsh treatment and low pay she and her colleagues deal with, working in hot temperatures with limited access to water. 

The worker said she has in times of dehydration drunk from water bottles left open by travelers who have  deboarded a plane, which left her feeling disgusted. She got emotional as she described having to tell her children that they would have to move because she couldn’t afford to live in her home despite work full-time, as she is currently facing an eviction. 

Multiple speakers addressed council in support of CareRing, an organization we featured in our paper in January. Read more about their work to expand health care access in Charlotte here. 

Hornets Practice Facility and Other Business Items

The city grew by 138 acres on Monday night thanks to two annexations along Back Creek Church road in northeast Charlotte. 

The first annexation was on two parcels totaling 78 acres located along the west side of Back Creek Church Road north of Rocky River Road near Hodges Family Farm. Currently vacant, the lot will be home to Courtyards at Back Creek, a development comprising 142 single-family homes.

The second involved 60 more acres, also located west of Back Creek Church Road, this time along John Russell Road, to allow the city to provide municipal services to the planned Russell Grove development comprising 185 single-family homes.

Council accepted a $250,000 grant from the US Conference of Mayors and Comcast to support the city’s UNTechCLT initiative. The grant funding will expand a teen summer camp series, provide devices and internet access to local households, and support workforce readiness programs.

Next, council contemplated a new deal for the city to lease the gravel lot next to Spectrum Center to the Hornets’ new ownership group for construction of their new practice facility. The lease will run the Hornets $10 per year for 99 years. Provisions mandate that construction of the practice facility is completed by Oct. 31, 2027.

The Hornets released new renderings of their design plans for the practice facility on Oct. 14. With construction set to begin early next year, the Charlotte Hornets Performance Center will include more than 160,000 square feet of training, administrative and retail space.

LaWana Mayfield said she was not ready to support the deal as it affects parking in Uptown both for city employees who use the gravel lot as it is today and for visitors to and workers in Uptown who were recently made to pay for street parking seven days a week.

The lease states that the city will pay $150,000 a year to retain the right to use 125 parking spaces in a parking structure planned for the property from Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mayfield said that, though she has other issues with the deal, she would be willing to support it if those time restrictions are lifted. 

She pointed out that many employees work late, especially on nights when meetings are happening, or work other jobs around Uptown including at Spectrum Center. The time restrictions were not lifted. 

The new deal was approved with Mayfield and Renee Johnson casting the only No votes.

Council approved an NC DOT project to construct exclusive right-turn lanes along northbound and southbound approaches of Sugar Creek Road at W. T. Harris Boulevard. NC DOT will contribute $1.3 million, added to $573,425 already allocated for the project in the city budget. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2028.

Lastly, council approved another NC DOT project, the Hornets Nest Park Access Improvements project, which will construct a sidewalk and make drainage improvements on Sunset Road from Day Lilly Road to Kiev Drive. NC DOT adds $1,03,000 to the $1.5 million approved by council in 2020. The local match is $258,000. Construction starts in late 2025.

Council will meet again for committee meetings followed by council discussions of said meetings on Monday, Nov. 4.