With the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Low-A East) ensconced in a new downtown ballpark, the city is selling the team’s former home, Intimidators Stadium, to a developer for $3 million.
The sale was a foregone conclusion: with the team moved out and no creative reuse of the ballpark proposed, the city put out requests for development bids for the 55.46-acre site, which is zoned office institutional and has infrastructure in place. With easy access off I-85, the site was seen as an attractive one by both the city and investors, with two bids submitted for the sale and development of the site.
And one of those investors, Fortius Capital Partners, stepped up with a winning bid to buy the Intimidators Stadium site, with final approval granted by the Kannapolis City Council. From the Salisbury Post:
The group plans to build three industrial buildings on the site, ranging from roughly 100,000 to 300,000 square feet. The total development is projected to cost about $49 million and will be called Lakeshore Business Park.
The buildings will be constructed speculatively, without a specific tenant in mind, and marketed to prospective companies. Fortius will target manufacturing, assembly and distribution companies to move into the buildings. Harris Morrison, a representative from Fortius Capital Partners, said the company will search for long-term tenants who provide good-paying jobs.
The buildout of the development is expected to take three to five years. Morrison said ground could be broken as early as the end of this year. Initial building construction will likely start in the middle of next year. The plan, he said, is to construct the buildings one at a time.
The plan is to salvage as much from the ballpark as possible, though it doesn’t sound like the city is planning on recycling the seating. We’re guessing one of the many entrepreneurial seat brokers following this site may be able to change this plan, however.
As noted, the former Intimidators, the Cannon Ballers, are playing at Atrium Health Ballpark. The new ballpark was designed to be the cornerstone of downtown Kannapolis development. The demolition of the old Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium will end a colorful chapter in team history. This ballpark opened in 1995 as home of the Piedmont Boll Weevils (Low A; Sally League) after the team’s move from Spartanburg, SC. It was a great brand, but it was abandoned in 2000 when the family of racing legend Dale Earnhardt purchased the team and rebranded it as the Kannapolis Intimidators.
Here’s a look back at our 2009 Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium visit.
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