Here’s what the Panthers plan for Rock Hill. Headquarters site details come into focus.
Detailed plans are in for the Carolina Panthers headquarters, which will reshape Rock Hill’s physical and business landscape.
The city planning commission will decide May 5 on a major site plan and plat approval for the project. The NFL team and firm LandDesign have submitted the most detailed plans to date for the commission to review.
Those plans show an almost 640,000-square-foot practice facility and more than 110,000-square-foot sports and entertainment venue at the southwest corner of Eden Terrace and I-77.
The decision comes after York County finalized last month a tax incentive agreement for the project that also involved the city and Rock Hill School District. Rock Hill City Council signed off on the agreement April 24.
“Though it was a long process, this agreement is a shining example of how we can work together to do great things for our community,” Mayor John Gettys said in a video message.
Gettys noted the project is much larger than just team facilities.
“The Panthers have much more than a headquarters building planned,” Gettys said. “They are looking toward a full-scale, mixed-use development complete with healthcare facility, apartments, hotel, trails, retail and restaurants.”
The plan submitted to the planning commission outlines many of those plans.
Included are:
▪ The first phase of development would include a road network, the team headquarters and the practice site.
▪ Almost 67,000 square feet of the sports entertainment venue — more than half its total space — is designated for spectactor seating, circulation and support space. Team, media and coaching space accounts for another 16,000 square feet.
▪ Team, media and coaching space would make up another 123,000 square feet in the practice facility. An indoor practice field would take up 118,000 square feet. More than 76,000 square feet of office and almost 29,000 square feet of physical therapy, testing and development space also are included.
▪ A new interchange off I-77 would join other road improvements, such as a connection to Eden Terrace at Riverview Road, Mt. Gallant Road at Langston Street, Burkett Drive and John Ross Parkway. More than 13,000 feet of new public streets would be added. Sidewalks and trail networks for pedestrians and cyclists also are planned.
▪ There would be 2,600 parking spaces, a mix of on-street, structured and temporary or event spaces. Most of that figure — 1,800 spaces — would be for event parking.
▪ A traffic analysis shows the project at full build-out would generate almost 3,800 morning and 4,200 afternoon vehicle trips per day. For comparison, state transportation data shows Eden Terrace between Anderson Road and I-77 now generates 6,900 daily trips. Three-quarters of those projected trips are likely to use the new I-77 interchange.
▪ Design for the Class A construction involves metal panel systems and large amounts of glazing and irregular forms for the headquarters and practice site. Renderings show what buildings will look like.
▪ The headquarters site would reach more than 150 feet tall in places.
The headquarters property still has to be annexed into Rock Hill. Notes on the plans submitted to the planning commission indicate they are subject to change. Often, recommendations from city and town planning commissions go into final design.
The May 5 meeting is a virtual one, as in-person restrictions continue due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
In the past year of planning between the team, city, county, state and other decision-makers, officials touted a transformational project. The team has two phases at a combined $1 billion of investment in the tax agreement with the county. Elected and economic development officials say growth around the project could bring double the team’s investment.
“The investment we’ll see, jobs created and amenities we’ll all be able to take advantage of, makes this one of the most significant economic development projects Rock Hill and York County will ever see,” Gettys said.
How to watch?
The city planning commission begins online at 6 p.m. May 5. Online access is available at this Zoom link or by phone at 1-929-205-6099. The meeting ID is 851 6223 7636, followed by the pound key.
This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 1:06 PM.
