Sports complex is a big step forward

Plans for a $26 million indoor sports arena approved by the Rock Hill City Council this week represent a giant step toward fulfilling the dream of a retail, residential and office park on the site of the former Rock Hill Printing & Finishing Co.

Council members voted unanimously Monday night to approve a lease contract allowing the city to operate a 170,000-square-foot indoor sports complex as part of Knowledge Park for the next two decades. After that, the city could buy the complex.

Under the agreement, the city would make regular payments to the owners through a 2 percent food and beverage tax and a local 3 percent accommodations tax. No city general fund money would be used.

Use of money from a meal tax and hotel tax would allow the city to benefit from money spent not only by local residents but also by visitors to the city who eat at local restaurants or stay in local inns. And as more visitors come to the city to use the sports complex, it essentially helps pay for itself.

The complex would be the largest of its kind in the Carolinas. It would contain eight high-school-sized basketball courts and a main championship-sized court that could accommodate more spectators.

While the courts are designed for basketball, potential uses for the courts are almost limitless. They could be used not only for basketball tournaments but also for volleyball and a variety of other sports, including club and Amateur Athletic Union traveling teams ranging from cheerleading squads to wrestling teams or even karate competitions.

The courts also could be used for non-sporting events such as conferences, parties and other gatherings. The championship court would be large enough for a concert or other event likely to attract a big crowd.

City officials are confident they can book all or part of the complex 39 weeks out of the year. And that, they say, is a conservative estimate.

Officials also say the complex could attract at least $10 million a year in tourism revenue. Some say the complex would be the crown jewel of Knowledge Park.

City leaders have been trying for more than a decade to jump start development of the site for the mill that what once was known as The Bleachery. With infrastructure work proceeding, re-development of the old Lowenstein mill building underway and now the plan to open the indoor sports complex as early as spring 2018, the dream is well on its way to becoming a reality.

This not only is a boost for the city’s historic core but also an addition to Rock Hill’s array of sports venues, making it a premier sports tourism center in the region. We’re glad to see the pace of progress increase so sharply.

As Mayor Doug Echols noted, this is a great step forward for the community.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Sports complex is a big step forward."