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York County forces Knights’ hand by putting ballpark up for bid

While the Charlotte Knights ownership continues to debate its future in Charlotte or other cities farther afield, it looks like York County in South Carolina, which owns Knights Stadium, will be forcing the team into a decision of sorts after opening the 32-acre parcel containing the ballpark for bids.While the Charlotte Knights ownership continues to debate its future in Charlotte or other cities farther afield, it looks like York County in South Carolina, which owns Knights Stadium, will be forcing the team into a decision of sorts after opening the 32-acre parcel containing the ballpark for bids. Attorney Jerry Reese, who has opposed the move of the Knights into a proposed new Uptown ballpark and filed yet another lawsuit opposing the financing method (Mecklenburg County is providing the land; the Knights are privately financing the cost of building the $62-million ballpark), says he plans a $5 million bid for the ballpark and land parcel.

Now, we’re not entirely sure about how the politics of Charlotte and Fort Mill, S.C. are playing out here. The Knights say they’re still focused on the Uptown ballpark. And we’re not entirely sure Reese is all that serious about wanting to own the ballpark and land. But, if you own the Knights, you surely must be doing the math re: owning your own ballpark. Sure, the location isn’t ideal, and certainly Knights Stadium needs a whole bunch of work. But it’s still a very functional ballpark, the greater Charlotte area is growing to the south (and the Knights Stadium location has very easy freeway access), and you have at least 20 acres of land for development. The parcel will probably go for $200,000 per acre, but that’s with a functional ballpark included. At what point do you draw the line at an iffy $62 million ballpark and decide to go with the $6 million ballpark, given the state of the credit markets and the short-term future of the economy? We’re guessing the Knights ownership is mulling these issues daily — and we’re guessing Knights Stadium isn’t looking too bad by comparison.