CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There is mounting concern over the $100 million project to bring a professional soccer team to Charlotte.
A St. Louis city leader told Channel 9 anchor Scott Wickersham that she shot down a similar proposal over cost.
The group in St. Louis hoping to land a Major League Soccer franchise asked for a lot less than Charlotte -- $80 million.
In the end, the group decided it couldn't happen quickly enough and maybe should never happen.
Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia said bringing the team to her city is all but dead because it has trouble supporting the sports complexes it already owns.
"We can't even figure out to afford to, maintain and keep in good repair those facilities,” Ingrassia said. “So I don't know why we are looking at a huge public subsidy for another sports stadium."
Charlotte-Mecklenburg leaders are still pondering the idea of bringing an MLS team to the Queen City with a Jan. 31 deadline to make the decision.
“Does the city and county need to be ready to walk away from this and say, ‘Not right now?’” Wickersham asked Mecklenburg County Commissioner Matthew Ridenhour
“I think that absolutely has to be an option,” Ridenhour said.
Ridenhour said something needs to be done with Memorial Stadium and the Grady Cole Center, which hosted just 37 events last year.
So he asked the county manager to get a better deal.
“Significantly less dollar investment by the county, takes into consideration,” Ridenhour said. “They are losing assets of Memorial Stadium and Grady Cole, and lowers annual amount we are willing to give toward annual maintenance costs.”
City and county staff are working against the deadline to see if they can work a deal everyone can agree on, so the city can bid for an MLS franchise.
Ridenhour said there is nothing on their agenda right now to discuss the deal, but that could change quickly.
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