CAUTION Urges Restraint on GoodSports Proposal
Group Continues Incentive Fight, Warns of Private Competitor to Facility
Site plan shows a mix of buildings, including the multi-sport center at left, office buildings along I-77 Service Road at right. A new road would connect the service road to Lake Pines Drive at the bottom.
Charlotte, NC – April 2, 2014 – Common Americans United to Inspire OUR Nation (CAUTION) announced today that it is urging the Economic Development Committee of the Charlotte City Council to oppose continued negotiations with GoodSports, Inc at its April 3, 2014 meeting due to a similar, private, facility being planned in nearby Cornelius, NC.
GoodSports, Inc, a Sarasota, FL based developer is seeking to partner with the City of Charlotte in the creation of a hotel-sports complex in East Charlotte. The proposed $72 million project would include an upfront $18 million subsidy from the City in addition to a $1 per year lease on land near Bojangles Coliseum. The project would include an 85,000 square foot “field house” and attempt to become a regional hub for amateur sports competitions.
Meanwhile, according to CorneliusNews.net, developers in North Mecklenburg “have proposed a Sports Village off I-77 Exit 28 in Cornelius that could have a significant economic impact on the Lake Norman area, providing a venue for hosting regional and national youth and adult tournaments and alleviating a shortage of courts for everything from basketball to volleyball to futsal (indoor soccer).” The 24 acre site would include a 150,000 square foot sports complex, possibly including an ice rink, as well as additional office space.
Other than a rezoning, the project is not looking to acquire government subsidy.
Christian Hine, the President of CAUTION, said in a statement, “While our organization is typically opposed to incentive packages in general, I would hope that those who would disagree with us generally can see the fallacy of having the City expend taxpayer resources towards a project that will likely be facing significant private competition in the near future.”
CAUTION is recommending that the general public contact the members of the Economic Development Committee before their meeting on Thursday to make sure they know there is opposition to incentives in general, as well as the potential conflict with this particular proposal.
The members and their contact information are as follows:
Michael Barnes: barnesforcharlotte@gmail.com, 704-509-6141
Claire Fallon: cfallon@charlottenc.gov, 704-336-6105
Vi Lyles: vlyles@charlottenc.gov, 704-336-3431
Al Austin: aaustin@charlottenc.gov, 704-336-3185
Lawana Mayfield: lmayfield@charlottenc.gov, 704-336-3435 (office) or 704-352-7305 (cell)
CAUTION is a Charlotte based group of concerned citizens seeking open, honest, transparent, and fiscally responsible government. The organization meets weekly on Mondays at the Dilworth Neighborhood Grille.
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I sent this letter to the committee members:
Good Morning,
I am writing to the members of the Charlotte City Council Economic Development Committee as both a Charlotte business owner and the President of a local organization named CAUTION.
Political opinions aside, we thank each of you for your service to our community. We understand the sacrifice it takes.
Last weekend, we were intrigued by two articles that came out within a day of each other. One in the Charlotte Observer outlined a proposal for a $72 million hotel-sports complex in East Charlotte from a company named GoodSports. The other, in CorneliusNews.net, informed us that a very similar, privately funded, project was in the works in North Mecklenburg.
Our organization was dismayed to learn that the GoodSports project is seeking $18 million in upfront taxpayer subsidy. We generally view such subsidies and incentives as anti-free market and not in the best interest of taxpayers. Agree or disagree with our general assessment, we find the particular circumstances of this proposal should create some questions. While the GoodSports project is looking at millions from taxpayers, the Sports Village concept in North Mecklenburg is a larger project and privately funded.
It seems to us that a project such as the GoodSports proposal is more economically viable without such significant competition being planned. While we would still oppose the subsidizing of what should be a private project, that seems more reasonable a request given the circumstances.
We urge you to use caution (no pun intended) in dealing with GoodSports. $18 million is a lot of money to throw after a project that may be obsolete before it is even completed.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Christian Hine
President, CAUTION
Managing Partner, New Majority Media, LLC
The Econ Dev meeting will be held on Thursday, April 3, in the Charlotte Meck Government Center room CH-14. If anyone can attend and report, that would be awesome. Let us know if you can go!
Sounds like the imbeciles are poised to double down.