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North Carolina FC announces stadium location, releases renderings

The MLS bid backed by North Carolina FC have taken another significant step forward in their process.

North Carolina FC announced their planned stadium location and released renderings as part of furthering their MLS bid on Thursday. The team has proposed a 13-acre site located in downtown Raleigh, NC in the area currently known as the State Government Complex. The proposed complex would include an MLS stadium, conference space, offices and retail spaces, housing, and public parking.

“This is another important step in our pursuit of a Major League Soccer Franchise,” said owner Steve Malik. “Our vision is to make this facility a crown jewel for downtown Raleigh, providing a world-class sporting and social experience for fans and the community. We are ready to engage all of the relevant constituents, including our community members, legislators, city, county and state officials, to address questions and concerns and bring this vision to life.”

The plan was announced during a visit from MLS president Mark Abbott, shortly following his visit to in-state MLS bid rivals Charlotte. The proposed complex is estimated to provide a net value of $2.8 billion to the state of North Carolina, mostly through events, new jobs, and tax revenue, over the next 17 years.

While no financial plans have yet been announced, the team did state they are actively seeking a public-private partnership with the local government. Even so, the announcement of stadium plans is considered a vital step in the bidding process, and seem to strengthen the North Carolina bid significantly.

Comments

  1. Not to be a pessimist, and ignoring the probability this even gets built, but how often do the renderings turn out to reflect the final product within MLS?

    Reply
    • Fair question, but one of the developers behind this is Kane Realty, and while not sports-specific, much of what they’ve built around town here has come in pretty close to the initial renderings. So it might not be quite a gleaming, but if Kane is involved, it’ll be pretty close to whatever final renderings they publish

      Reply
  2. biggest plus? no public funding – the team pays for it all

    biggest negative? traffic, traffic, traffic, traffic, traffic – there’s no good high-speed roads in and out of that area. Lots of public transit, easy walking distance to a lot of recently-built (last 10 years or so) urban living, but if anyone’s driving into downtown for a game, it’ll suck.

    Reply

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