A minor league baseball stadium proposed in Leland faced substantial public pushback Thursday, as town leaders weighed the project’s feasibility and economic impact.
Leland residents raised concerns about the cost of the proposed stadium and the impact development could have on the town’s existing neighborhoods and infrastructure.
William Moore, a Leland resident and chair of the Brunswick County Republican Party, questioned the project’s financing and whether it would mean higher taxes for locals.
“We’re going to fight it. As far as I’m concerned, the party is going to be against this because it’s not in the interest of the taxpayers of this community,” Moore said Thursday.
Members of the town council did not take formal action Thursday on the stadium plans, following a staff presentation of the findings of a feasibility and economic impact study.
Leland leaders embarked on the study this spring with hopes it would guide decisions about whether the town should pursue the project. The proposed 6,000-seat baseball stadium would anchor a sprawling multi-use development on 1,400 acres near Brunswick Forest, Leland’s Economic and Community Development Director Barnes Sutton told the council on Thursday.
“It would not be a stadium in isolation,” Sutton said. “This is the center of a town center development that could leverage retail, office, commercial and other amenities around that facility to create a destination in the town of Leland.”
Representatives of Texas-based REV Entertainment, a management partner for various sports teams including the Texas Rangers, contacted the town of Leland last year about the prospect of bringing the minor-league baseball team to the area. To further explore the project, Leland officials commissioned a project feasibility and economic impact study from Chicago-based consulting firm Baker Tilly.
The study highlights new details of the project along with newly projected economic impacts. It concludes the “estimated addition to public revenues should be considered by the Town of Leland as a compelling case to move forward in further exploration to build the stadium in conjunction with REV entertainment and Jackeys Creek Development.”
The development cost of the baseball stadium is estimated at $105.6 million with the stadium itself costing an estimated $59 million and required infrastructure, including site preparations and utilities, estimated at $46 million, according to the study.
The stadium will have a 6,000-person capacity, including 4,000 fixed stadium seats and 2,000 other seats within the concourse, group venues and lawn seating. It will also feature a “substantial hospitality zone, a terraced corporate event space, fun zone and climate-controlled indoor suites,” the report states. The stadium and associated parking would be built on 51 acres of the 1,400-acre development site, which is owned by Jackeys Creek Investors LLC.
The stadium and surrounding development could help the town meet its long-term economic development goals and help the town develop an identity, Sutton said.
“Leland residents have been asking for us to work diligently in creating a place, an identity for the town of Leland, something that has community character,” he said. “All things considered, Leland is a relatively young town, especially compared to some of our neighbors. We don’t have a lot of those old bones to build around, and so what we have to do is be really creative with place-making opportunities in new growth areas.”
The baseball stadium would be used as a “catalyst” and anchor for surrounding development, according to the study. A 245,000-square-foot medical campus is proposed as the development’s second anchor.
The study finds that based on market demands, the area could see a range of development, which would be built over a 20-year period.
Real estate consulting company RCLCO created market-based projections for the site’s development, finding that the “highest and best use” of the site involved “greater density and a mix of uses.” These projections also prioritized commercial space, multifamily housing and attached housing over single-family detached-style homes, the report stated.
Proposed plans include a 150-room full-service hotel with a bar and restaurant, 10,000 square feet of meeting space and a party deck offering views of the baseball field. Two other limited-service hotels each with 120 rooms are also proposed. The development includes a proposal for 9,950 total housing units with 5,500 rental units and 4,450 for-sale homes.
Plans also feature 400,000 square feet of commercial space with around 135,000 square feet of restaurant space, 100,000 square feet for grocery and drug store uses and 55,000 square feet for entertainment and fitness venues. Around 650,000 square feet of office space is included in the development plans with 150,000 square feet of traditional office space and 500,000 square feet of medical office space.
At full build-out, the stadium and surrounding development would have an estimated value of $2.39 billion, according to the study. The project would generate an additional $182 million in property taxes over a 30-year period with around $109 million going toward Brunswick County and $73 million going to the town of Leland.
During its construction, the project is expected to generate 29,695 temporary indirect, direct and induced jobs. The economic output and labor income stemming from the development is estimated at $5.1 billion, according to the report. The stadium is expected to create 319 permanent jobs once completed.
Over a 10-year period, the stadium operating revenue is forecast to be $135 million in tickets, concessions, parking, merchandise and other events. Additional stadium revenue could be generated through a stadium lease, parking fees, a ticket fee surcharge and naming rights or sponsorships. The surrounding development would generate $175 million in additional sales tax revenue over a 30-year period, according to the report.
“This consistent infusion of economic activity will likely stimulate various sectors, such as hospitality, retail and services, thereby fostering economic growth, supporting local businesses, and ultimately improving the overall financial well-being of the region,” the study states.
Many of the residents who turned out at Thursday’s council meeting voiced skepticism and concern about the project’s pricetag and the results of the study. Out of the 16 people who signed up for the meeting’s public comment portion, 15 voiced opposition to the stadium.
“It’s ludicrous,” Leland resident Chuck Whitlock told the council.
Whitlock encouraged the council to take a hard look at the impacts and costs of the proposed stadium before making a decision.
“I understand the temptation to have this beautiful development, but I’m telling you those houses are going to be built regardless. That hospital if it’s needed, they’ll get a certificate of need and it’ll be built,” he said, “but you don’t need to build a ballpark in order to have all those things.”
Moving forward, Sutton said he plans to continue discussions with REV Entertainment and Jackeys Creek Investors LLC. He told the council he plans to return with any new information in the coming months.
In response to Sutton’s presentation, Mayor Pro Tem Bob Campbell said he wanted the town to take a closer look at its finances to see if funding for the project is in reach.
“The big thing is the money,” Campbell said. “If we don’t have the money, there’s no sense in going any further.”
Council member Veronica Carter acknowledged the town will need to invest further to establish and grow a true downtown area.
“We don’t have a downtown,” she said, “and frankly we’re not going to get a downtown unless we make one.”
