Developers, baseball leagues discuss northern riverfront site

By Josh Spilker
Wilmington is finishing up one large downtown project … are we ready for another? How about two more?
Riverfront Holdings II principals Chuck Schoninger and Steve Shuttleworth are highly invested in the project. They own 33 acres along the Cape Fear River. They say a baseball stadium would add a signature large event to the riverfront garnering repeat visits from residents and tourists alike.
Baseball would offer a “family-oriented, community attraction” compared to other options downtown, the two say.
“There are multiple components to a vibrant downtown,” Shuttleworth said. “Baseball creates an entertainment component.” With the stadium filled 70 days of the year, Schoninger and Shuttleworth estimate 300,000 visitors will make their way to downtown during the summer.
“It’s a valuable piece of the puzzle for any downtown revitalization project,” said Wilmington Downtown Inc. Director John Hinnant. “It would be beneficial for downtown business.”
Other plans include adding mixed-use retail, a marina and office buildings overlooking the baseball stadium.
“We’re building a village,” Schoninger said.
Schoninger and Shuttleworth said they had talked to at least three different leagues, with the Carolina League showing the most interest.
“We do think Wilmington as a market has potential. We do think the Carolina League would be suitable and we continue to monitor the situation,” said John Hopkins, president of the Carolina League. Hopkins said he has talked with local officials and the developers on behalf of Minor League Baseball.
The Carolina League has eight teams, including teams in Winston-Salem, Kinston, Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, Del. Another possible fit is the South Atlantic League, which has teams in Greensboro, Asheville, Kannapolis and Hickory. Both leagues are Class A leagues.
A study by the Durham Convention and Visitors Bureau said that the 10 minor league baseball teams in North Carolina generated  $47 million to the state’s economy in 2007 and had total attendance of over two million fans. Minor league baseball attendance has also soared nationwide from 12.3 million in 1980 to more than 43 million in 2007.
Wilmington may have potential, but potential does not build a baseball stadium. According to a 2004 study by the Confluence Research Group, downtown revitalization projects are more likely to draw public money and support than a project in a suburban setting.
“Because new stadiums (particularly downtown stadiums) can serve as a powerful drawing card for an area, civic authorities are much more comfortable earmarking public funds for such a stadium project if they can position it as the center piece of a major revitalization effort,” the report reads. It also noted that downtown parks have 50 percent higher attendance than suburban parks due to the nearby bars and restaurants.
“There’s a lot of people that would like to see that happen,” Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said when asked about a stadium. Saffo said he is approached every so often about a team coming to Wilmington. “It’s a matter of finding the means to pay for it. From what I understand is that the team can’t pay enough rent to service the debt.”
The Confluence Research Report said that municipal bonds are the most common way to pay for a stadium. Schoninger and Shuttleworth said that corporate sponsorships and possible parking revenue are other ways that may offset the costs. They estimated materials for a new stadium would be between $15 and $18 million but that the total costs would be higher but not as much as the convention center.
“It would be significantly less than the convention center,” Shuttleworth said. Municipal support will pull the deal together, possibly across city and county lines. The ballpark is expected to appeal to the whole region, he said. 
In some ways, Riverfront Holdings is just following the Vision 2020 plan, which calls for a downtown waterfront park.
“All we did is add the word ‘ball’ to it,” Shuttleworth said.
The city needs county support behind it to make the stadium
happen, Saffo said. County Commission Chairman Jason Thompson said he also is approached often about a stadium. He agrees that it would take a joint effort.
“I don’t think the city or county would do it by itself. I’m certainly not going to advocate spending for it right now,” Thompson said.
He also has heard past rumblings about stadiums across the bridge or out near I-40, but thinks the downtown spot has the best options.
“It has 90 percent of the infrastructure,” Thompson said. “We’ve been approached by everybody, but nobody has a deal yet.”
But Shuttleworth and Schoninger are ready to play. The stadium represents a “bookend” opportunity to the convention center that could redefine the Wilmington riverfront.
The next step for Shuttleworth and Schoninger is to garner community support. They said they are talking to various groups about their plans and ideas including local sports celebrities. The more people they have supporting the idea, the more hopeful they are about municipal support.
“This is a real, true opportunity,” Shuttleworth said.