Rock Hill City Council unanimously approves deal to bring Panthers headquarters to SC
In the next step to finalize the deal, Rock Hill City Council members have signed off on the incentive package that will bring the Carolina Panthers headquarters and practice facility to York County.
The council unanimously approved its part of the deal Friday afternoon, which will allow the NFL team to move its headquarters and practice facilities from Charlotte to an undeveloped site off I-77 between Cherry Road and Dave Lyle Boulevard.
“It’s really time to get to work,” Panthers COO Mark Hart told the council. “It’s time to work collaboratively and we’re ready to do that and I hope you guys are as well.”
Hart said Rock Hill will attract national attention for the project and said he hopes to “stick a shovel in the ground” in the next few weeks.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, but you’re going to see in the next couple of months — when you start to see some of these plans and you start to see images of the building, and you start to see the breadth and commitment that David (Tepper) is making to this region. I think you’re going to be proud that you guys all individually and collectively carried the ball throughout this past year,” Hart said.
The deal, which has been pegged Project Avalanche, requires the city to forego all its property tax revenue from the project for up to 30 years. The Rock Hill School District would put 75% of its Panthers revenue in the agreement and York County would put 65% of the revenue it collects. The funds would go to to $225 million worth of project infrastructure.
Once the infrastructure is paid for, or the incentive expires, all three taxing bodies would receive the full tax amount from the project agreed to in the deal.
S.C. House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, said the deal was long but “well worth it,” as the outcome will provide a better livelihood, more economic development and jobs to the area. He said the project will put the county at the forefront of rebuilding its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We know what we have hear,” Simrill said. “Nobody had to tell us or show us. We’ve seen it from the inside and we know the greatest of what is Rock Hill and York County and South Carolina. For the Panthers to look at this area, to want to be a part of the fabric that makes Rock Hill and York County so great, we’re honored that this is happening.”
York County Council members voted 4-3 on Monday night to approve its portion of the package.
During the county’s virtual Zoom meeting Monday, many callers were critical of more than 800 acres of land included in the deal. Residents said during the meeting that the properties showed up in the agreement last minute and landowners were not notified.
City attorney Paul Dillingham clarified Friday that as of now, the 800-plus acres of land, which has been included in the deal since the start, does not have anything to do with the headquarters site and nobody would force property owners to sell land to the Panthers.
“As far as buying the entire parcel, that’s not what this is about,” he said. “This is just adding the flexibility that if the Panthers strike a deal with a particular property owner...those parcels could later be included.”
Dillingham said only if the Panthers was interested in purchasing a property and had a willing seller, then the team could purchase the land. And with the land’s proximity to the headquarters site, he said he anticipates the value of the properties could go up.
“This literally does nothing adverse or nothing to the property, except perhaps make it a little more valuable,” he said.
Council member John Black said it’s common for councils to look ahead and include certain properties in deals like the Panthers package, but the city cannot “just vote and annex their property into the city.” The property owner must petition to annex, Black said.
“By these being included or mentioned, it’s not that we tried to underhand or do something without the property owners’ knowledge,” Black said.
Mayor John Gettys clarified that the city has no plans to condemn property for economic development related to the deal. He pointed out that there will be no liens on properties or notices to property owners and overall, no increases in taxes.
“Tomorrow will be like today for anyone that owns property in this defined area,” Gettys said.
The headquarters site still must be annexed into Rock Hill. In May, the city planning commission should hear a couple of items related to the Panthers development.
“Thank you for hanging in here with us through these months of trying to put this together,” City Council member Kevin Sutton told Hart at the end of the meeting. “I know it took a little while, but I appreciate you choosing Rock Hill and what we’ve got to look forward to.”
“Well said,” Gettys added.
This story was originally published April 26, 2020 at 7:22 AM.
