As the city continues to plan its forthcoming ballpark, some Fayetteville‘s businesses are eager to see the facility open.
The concept in Fayetteville resembles many projects that have been conceived in other cities over the years, as the downtown location is intended to spark spin-off development. Officials have already begun planning some of the amenities that could be constructed in the area surrounding the ballpark, including apartments and a hotel.
For now, the facility–which will host the Buies Creek Astros (High A; Carolina League)–remains on track to open for the 2019 season. In the meantime, some area businesses are anticipating how the ballpark will affect downtown, and are anxious for its opening. More from WRAL.com:
The downtown area still has many vacant buildings. As a founder of the Downtown Alliance, Hank Parfitt said baseball will turn the “for lease” notices into welcome signs.
“And now, I think, you’re going to see some smart business people come in and take over some of these buildings and make some great things happen,” he said.
Barb Price, who lives in the Washington D. C. area, is opening Airborne Brew with her brothers. As veterans, they chose Fayetteville before they knew baseball was on tap.
“It’s a little town feel with big town opportunities,” Price said. “We already decided we loved Fayetteville, but then to find the stadium was coming too, it was like this is it, this is the place we have to be at.”
On Thursday the Astros began play, making their debut at Campbell University’s Jim Perry Stadium. The game drew a reported 1,117 fans, and the Astros defeated the Winston-Salem Dash by a final of 5-3.
The Astros will spend the 2017 and 2018 seasons at Jim Perry Stadium, and are expected to undergo a rebranding process before opening their Fayetteville ballpark in 2019.
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