CHARLOTTE — For years, the Carolina Panthers only had an outdoor field. When it rained or stormed, they had to practice inside the Convention Center. The team is now planning a fieldhouse with a full-length field inside, but Charlotte City Council must sign off on the project first.
The Panthers unveiled renderings to Charlotte City Council Monday night during a rezoning hearing. If all goes to plan, quarterback Bryce Young will be throwing touchdowns to wide receiver Xavier Legette inside the fieldhouse in 2026. The state-of-the-art indoor facility will feature a full-length football field. It’s replacing the bubble which had a 60-yard field.
Charlotte City Council is now considering the Panthers practice facility rezoning petition. Here are renderings of the project. No tax dollars are being sought for it @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/pfdDI1KZ67
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 20, 2024
“The goal for this site, as it has been for the entire duration of Carolina Panthers football, is for football and the activities related to that,” said Caroline Wright, senior vice president and chief venues officer.
Currently, only one practice field exists at the site, which is where the fieldhouse will go. Construction is underway of two additional fields that are expected to be ready for training camp. Charlotte City Council approval was not needed for this.
A maintenance building is also on site. The Panthers will have the ability to move the maintenance building in the future. It is currently in a CATS right-of-way. The team also wants to build a fan zone on top of the maintenance building. The team will also be able to bring in bleachers when practices are open to the public.
Most of the time, the only traffic for the site will be for the people playing on the fields.
“The traffic activity for the majority of our uses will be related to players and coaching staff,” Wright said.
This is all tied to a rezoning Charlotte City Council heard Monday night. Only one person spoke in opposition, a neighbor who lives across the street. Resident Wesley Clark is worried about trees that will have to be cut down and the fieldhouse’s 70-foot height.
“It really is an eyesore where it is,” he said.
There wasn’t any major pushback on the project from Charlotte City council members. However, Councilman Malcolm Graham represents the area and says he’s willing to work with all parties to find a project that works for everyone.
“We will continue to work to resolve outstanding issues,” he said.
The Panthers will have to cut down trees in between the sidewalk and fence on South Cedar Street to provide more room for players. The project is a game of inches and without that extra room, there is a safety concern. Per city policy, the team can plant trees on other parts of the site to mitigate the loss.
A vote will happen as soon as next month.
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