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Majority of Charlotte council members supports Knights ballpark

Charlotte KnightsA majority of Charlotte City Council members now support a proposed Charlotte Knights (Class AAA; International League) ballpark plan, with a vote scheduled for June 11.

Seven of the 11 council members expressed support for a new funding plan that capped the city’s contribution at $7.25 million, all coming from tourism funds. A plan to include property-tax rebates as part of the mix was released, and another group — Capital City Partners — is stepping up with $750,000, making the total city contribution to the ballpark $8 million. With property taxes out of the mix, some former no votes — including two low-tax Republicans — indicated they could support the measure. Mayor Anthony Foxx, while ambivalent about the project, didn’t indicate he would veto the spending.

The $54 million ballpark project is mostly funded by the team; besides the $8 million coming from the city, $8 million and basically free leased land is coming from Mecklenburg County.

If approved by the city on June 11, ballpark construction in the uptown area of Charlotte (which is the downtown area) could begin this fall for a 2014 opening.

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