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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Boomer with Attitude / News Ditch the ballpark, give us the REAL park we voted for
Posted By John Grooms on Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 3:21 PM
County commissioners gave the Charlotte Knights yet another breath of hope yesterday by giving the team more time to build the proposed minor-league ballpark in Third Ward. As of now, the team doesn’t even have financing arranged, much less having the ballpark “substantially complete” by this fall, as was originally planned. So, what happens when the Chamber & Co. can't get what they want on time? That's right, the time frame is stretched until they do get it, thanks to our corporate-owned local government. The new deal says the Knights must have financing in place by the end of June 2012, or the lease will be canceled.
Here’s a better idea: ditch the whole Knights-move-Uptown! charade, and give citizens what we voted for in that part of town — a real urban park, all 8 acres of it. Local media seems to have forgotten — or don’t care, or are too in thrall to the Chamber to dare mention it — that before the Uptown! suits came up with the complicated land-swap, scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours “deal” to get the Knights into Third Ward, voters approved, by a wide margin, using that space to give Charlotte a decent urban park, like a normal “world-class” city. It’s no secret that this city has less available green space per capita (outside the suburbs) than nearly any other city its size, so dumping plans for the big park was a huge deal, and not just for the Knights. Now, it's time to reverse that deal. Read all about the value of great urban parks for a city's soul here.
Look — since the Knights “deal” was proposed, the economy has hit the toilet, and public interest in the ballpark has waned. County Commission should stand on its own for a change, disregard the fond wishes and fantasies of the Uptown! suits, and do what’s right for the public. Screw the ballpark, and give us a real park!
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Comments (8)
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Did you miss the news about this park (it's called Romare Bearden Park btw), that it recently had its funding approved and construction should be starting shortly? Check their facebook page. There are also actual renderings of the park's real layout that look MUCH cooler than the placeholder in this article!
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Also, to my knowledge, the parcels to be used by the ballpark and Romare Bearden park never actually overlapped. They're on adjacent blocks.
The original plan was for an 8-acre park that would take up the land currently planned for R. Bearden Park + the land for the ballpark. There are frankly enough sports goodies uptown, more green space is far preferable -- and sorely needed.
Ah ok. Frankly I think the park in its currently-proposed form is a pretty good size and great layout, and I'd like to see more infill development, residences and storefronts on the ballpark site.
the vote last night was 7-2 (with Commissioner Cooksey and me as the 'no' votes). The park promised to voters (2005 Park bonds) used the 'baseball site' for Bearden Park. Once uptown set its sights on the parcel, about $200,000 was spent on a new study saying the park should be moved. As a result of that study, the D's on the County Commission spent an additional $19 million and then gave the baseball site to the Knights (worth about $10 million). If the original site were included in the park it would be about 11 to 12 acres. Without it, it is about 7 to 8. Voters were promised that land would be part of Bearden Park. To make matters worse, the board refused to require audited financial statements, reviewed projections or guarantees from the Knights owners. Not a sound financial move given Whitewater, Open Door and the Giving Tree.
Wrong, as usual. The baseball site is 7.8 acres, the Romare Bearden Park site is 5 acres, plus an extension along Third Street that will connect the park to Tryon Street. You were never promised a 13 acre park. Not to mention the fact that First Ward Park will be built soon, which is another 7 acres of park space in Uptown. Find something to real to whine about, ok?
The public paid for a park! I was pissed at the complicated hoops government decided to go thru to get what they wanted while screwing the public yet again. Remember the Arena vote? The public voted it down even after all of the underhanded things government did to try and force it to pass. In the end they ignored the public and built the arena anyways. The government should stay out of land deals like this and honor the voters by doing what has already been agreed on.
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