The Charlotte City Council voted 8-3 Monday night for a land swap as part of Mecklenburg County’s plan to bring new parks, affordable housing and a baseball stadium to uptown Charlotte.
The county is assembling various properties to build two new parks and secure a stadium for the minor league Charlotte Knights, who now play in Fort Mill, S.C.
To make the deal work, the county needed agreements with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the city, both of which own some of the properties. The school board approved its agreement last week.
Council members Don Lochman, Patsey Kinsey and Nancy Carter voted against the motion to convey Marshall Park to the county in exchange for the county’s share of the future Wachovia Cultural Arts Center.
The city also worked out a traffic control plan with the Knights that will cost $210,000 a year. The Knights will pay $157,500 and the city will pay $52,500.
As part of the deal, the city also got a say in Brooklyn Village, the uptown affordable housing plan for the Marshall Park property. Monday night’s vote allows the city manager to continue working out details with the Charlotte Housing Authority on the project, which is a mix of offices, retail and mixed-income homes.
Now it’s up to the county to negotiate its deal with private developers for the whole project to come together.
Meanwhile, Jerry Reese, a Charlotte lawyer, filed papers in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on Friday to block the transfer of the school headquarters to the county.
Reese attended Monday night’s council meeting and urged members to reject the county’s baseball plan.
Charlotte Observer – VICTORIA CHERRIE
