Charlotte Knights AAA Ballpark in Third Ward

[B Randy]

On 8/25/2021 at 8:01 PM, CltFlyer said:

I would love to see a team in Charlotte, but I do think Raleigh almost has a better case than us for an MLB team (and likely would have had the better chance for a MLS team if Tepper hadn't willed Charlotte FC to be).  I'm not saying we have no chance,  but there isn't currently a legitimate ownership group advocating for Major League Baseball in Charlotte that I'm aware of.  Raleigh-Durham has a quickly growing population and a smaller supply of professional sports.  (One could argue a lot of that market is taken by College athletics, however)

As Tepper has shown though, if a group with enough money comes in and wants MLB in Charlotte,  we definitely have a case for one.

The level of success (or failure)  of Charlotte FC will likely be an indicator of Charlotte's MLB hopes.  A good location for a MLB stadium would be the BOA site when (not if) Tepper builds  his retractable roof stadium.  

This is a double edge sword as alluded to above, though.  The taxpayers will likely be against another new sports stadium so soon after.  

 

If Atlanta can support 4 - we should strive to do the same. Charlotte 2030 should be the place to be and critical mass to support it all…

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Raleigh/Durham area will always be college town(s) to me and pros in Charlotte. I know hurricanes have had pretty good support lately (Bc of recent success) but historically they’ve been at the bottom of the attendance polls for a long time. It’s easy to support a winning team but the true colors show with how you support during a losing season(s). Even during the god awful bobcat days, we’ve never been dead last in numbers. Obviously, Charlotte would be my number one choice and market wise would prob be many peoples first choice. If not, hell, I’d rather have Winston Salem get it before R/D lol and if I’m not mistaken there was a proposal a veryyy long time ago for MLB in the triad. In the meantime, we need to keep working on making Truist the best minor league stadium in the league whether that’s adding amenities, upgrades, fan experiences, or building in left outfield. In the pie in the sky event were to come to fruition and MLB bats an eye at Charlotte, we’ll have numbers to support our push. 

Edited August 27, 2021 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[kermit]

Fuzzy Peach in the ballpark is now shut down (it may have been gone all summer, I just noticed). While this does not represent a big loss in the context of Knights games,it was the only way the ballpark ever connected to the city outside of game time.

I do think that both the Knights and the city would benefit from a couple of businesses that connected city and diamond. All that left field real estate is embarrassing. (But I am sympathetic that the Knights don’t have much cash to throw around during a pandemic). This is an opportunity for the city to step in with some $$$ for a building to make this part of town more active all year long. Personally I would choose a beer garden.

Edited September 16, 2021 by kermit

[RANYC]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

Fuzzy Peach in the ballpark is now shut down (it may have been gone all summer, I just noticed). While this does not represent a big loss in the context of Knights games,it was the only way the ballpark ever connected to the city outside of game time.

I do think that both the Knights and the city would benefit from a couple of businesses that connected city and diamond. All that left field real estate is embarrassing. (But I am sympathetic that the Knights don’t have much cash to throw around during a pandemic. This is an opportunity for the city to step in with some $$$ for a building to make this part of town more active all year long. Personally I would choose a beer garden)

You're referring to the space adjacent to Truist Ballpark enclosed by the chain-link fence, yes?  

I'm all in on a dense, canopied beer garden for that space.  Example included. 

[Hushpuppy321]

On 8/26/2021 at 10:04 PM, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Raleigh/Durham area will always be college town(s) to me and pros in Charlotte. I know hurricanes have had pretty good support lately (Bc of recent success) but historically they’ve been at the bottom of the attendance polls for a long time. It’s easy to support a winning team but the true colors show with how you support during a losing season(s). Even during the god awful bobcat days, we’ve never been dead last in numbers. Obviously, Charlotte would be my number one choice and market wise would prob be many peoples first choice. If not, hell, I’d rather have Winston Salem get it before R/D lol and if I’m not mistaken there was a proposal a veryyy long time ago for MLB in the triad. In the meantime, we need to keep working on making Truist the best minor league stadium in the league whether that’s adding amenities, upgrades, fan experiences, or building in left outfield. In the pie in the sky event were to come to fruition and MLB bats an eye at Charlotte, we’ll have numbers to support our push. 

I agree with all of the above stated.  I do think it was a mistake\missed opportunity to think big back when the Stadium was conceived & funded.  Building it with the ability to expand (to 20 or 25k Capacity) may have been advisable.  Does anyone know what that would've cost back then?  I wasn't in Charlotte when this was debated\funded.  Also - Are there any Major & Minor League Teams that currently share the same stadium and how would that impact scheduling?

[DMann]

There are no major league teams that will go into a "renovated" MILB stadium.  Too many cities willing to throw too much money and will build a new palace for the team.

[kermit]

Something is wrong when I can stubhub a Cubs bleacher seat for $6 (any game this week) when the cheapest I have ever seen a Knights ticket on Stubhub is $20.

(granted the weather in Chicago sucks this week but still)

Edit: it was literally snowing at the game, but it was just $6.

Edited April 19, 2022 by kermit

[kermit]

Good crowd at opening night tonight, I’ll declare it a minor league sellout.

New pub in yogurt spot not open yet. Local beer selection looks significantly smaller than last year (Wicked Weed does not count, nearly everything was an InBev product. If you walk to the outfield you can still find OMB, and I saw maybe one NoDa tap left near the home plate club).

Very surprised the removed the pitch clock in AAA this year (the on field timers were on between innings and for warmups for new pitchers but not during play at all)

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by kermit

[kermit]

The Paper Mill Pub (old yogurt spot) opens at the ballpark today:

 https://www.charlotteobserver.com/charlottefive/c5-food-drink/article271323522.html

The story has some photos. The pub will have two stories, appears to look over Bearden Park (but no views inside the park). Will be nice to have a space generating 365 activity on this edge of Bearden. I'll be interested to see how they manage game and non-game pricing.

Edited May 16, 2023 by kermit

[videtur quam contuor]

The Knights Field, truist, is on the site of the former Virginia Paper Company. Maybe the origin of the pub name? 

http://landmarkscommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Virginia-Paper-Co-Bldg-SR.pdf

 

[SouthEndCLT811]

4 minutes ago, tarhoosier said:

The Knights Field, truist, is on the site of the former Virginia Paper Company. Maybe the origin of the pub name? 

http://landmarkscommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Virginia-Paper-Co-Bldg-SR.pdf

 

Correct

https://charlotte.axios.com/318412/new-two-story-pub-coming-to-charlotte-knights-ballpark-this-summer/

Quote

Context: The pub’s name honors the Virginia Paper Company building, which called the site home long before Truist Field was there.

 

[kermit]

Skyline view improved somehow: (< blue text)

If only we had the Belk River! (And it joined the Brookshire and Independence rivers in First Ward). I’ll bet all the acquaducting would cost less than the Silver Line.
 

 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by kermit

[kermit]

The Knights are for sale ($100 million asking) and the office (?) building in the outfield is being teased as a sweetener to the deal (I wouldn't  interpret the development part of this as anything more than talking up a sale).

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2024/01/08/charlotte-knights-minor-league-baseball-don-beaver.html

Quote

Truist Field upgrades, adjacent development on deck

Mecklenburg County owns the 8-acre site occupied by the ballpark and leases the land to the Knights for $1 annually. With one exception: a roughly 1-acre tract beyond the outfield fence that the team has considered for an office building, ground-floor restaurant and entertainment areas.

Rajkowski said the long-delayed project will likely become a priority when the Knights have a new owner.

...

“We’re moving into the next phase of what is the future of the Knights,” he said. “We have capital projects, things that need to be done. Don made a significant investment when we moved here to build this ballpark, and we’re getting close to paying off all the debt. It’s just time.”

The Knights no longer routinely lead the minor leagues in attendance as they did during their first five seasons uptown, but they remain financially healthy.

Last season, attendance declined 6% from 2022 to 6,823 fans per game. According to Baseball Digest, Charlotte ranked 10th among the 120 MLB-affiliated teams in attendance. 

IMO this is pretty good news for uptown. The ballpark is a genuine jewel of uptown and the Knights probably brought more people uptown than this year's iteration of the Panthers. The current owners have done a decent job of broadening ballpark use beyond the MiLB season. At this price, new owners will need to further increase revenues, and the clearest way to do that (IMO) will be additional development and improving the ballparks interface with uptown and Bearden. 

Edited January 8 by kermit

[kermit]

Never seen more people at the ballpark than tonight for the Checkers.

Edit: Checkers report that it was a sellout and 11,031 attended. Felt like more than that.

Edit: per the CBJ

Quote

It also set a new attendance record at the ballpark, where capacity is 10,000. That means more than 1,000 standing-room tickets sold for $35 and $70 each.

 

 

Edited January 16 by kermit

[Windsurfer]

6 hours ago, kermit said:

Never seen more people at the ballpark than tonight for the Checkers

 

Should keep a skating rink open all winter for the public

[JRCLT]

13 hours ago, kermit said:

Never seen more people at the ballpark than tonight for the Checkers.

Edit: Checkers report that it was a sellout and 11,031 attended. Felt like more than that.

 

So is this why Uptown was red..? If so… more support for all our teams! Big and small. 

[carolinaboy]

On 1/13/2024 at 7:53 PM, kermit said:

Never seen more people at the ballpark than tonight for the Checkers.

Edit: Checkers report that it was a sellout and 11,031 attended. Felt like more than that.

 

This is a fantastic picture. Thanks Kermit.