>>
>> IT
>> IT IS
>> IT IS HARD TO GET MUCH MORE EXCITING THAN THIS, AND THIS WAS CALLED PERHAPS THE WORST
KEPT SECRET IN CHARLOTTE.
BUT NOW IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS
TO COME, YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF
THIS ALL AROUND TOWN.
THIS HAPPENED QUICKLY ACCORDING
TO THE COMMISSIONER, AND HERE'S
WHAT WE KNOW.
AS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT,
CHARLOTTE WILL BECOME THE 30th
CITY TO HAVE MLS SOCCER AND THE
TEAM IS EXPECTED TO TAKE THE
FIELD IN 2021.
SO THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN FAST.
THE MAYOR SAID THE MONEY HAS
BEEN SET ASIDE, BUT SHE MAKES
AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION HERE.
SHE SAID THE MONEY HAS BEEN SET
ASIDE AND NOT BEEN SPENT.
NOW STARTS THE PART OF GETTING
PUBLIC INPUT HEARING FROM THE
TAXPAYERS.
THE CITY WAS AWARDED THIS
BECAUSE OF TWO THINGS.
THE AMBITION AND THE COMMUNITY.
WE KNOW THAT THIS WILL BE HELD
AT BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM.
CHARLOTTE HAS ALREADY SECURED A
MAJOR CORPORATE SPONSOR AND
CORPORATE SUITES.
60 PEOPLE HAVE PLEDGED $100,000
THIS YEAR.
WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE INSIDE
AND OUTSIDE WHERE THE
ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE AND WE
HAVE A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER
STANDING BY IN JUST A MINUTE.
THE LET'S BEGIN WITH NICK.
THE ONE PERSON LOOMING LARGE
OVER THIS WAS DAVID TEPPER.>>
THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED
WITHOUT HIM.
THIS WAS NOT EVEN TWO YEARS AGO,
WHEN HE TOOK OVER AS THE OWNER
AND STOOD IN FRONT OF THE
CAMERAS AND UTTERED THE LETTERS
MLS.
NOW HERE WE ARE IN 2019 AND HE
HAS HIMSELF THAT TEAM.
HE WAS ABSOLUTELY GIDDY ON THE
STAGE HERE AS THE COMMISSIONER
ADORNED HIM WITH THE MLS SCARF.
HE TRASHED ATLANTA AND NOW HAS
ARRIVAL IN MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
IN ADDITION TO THE NFL.
AND I ASKED DAVID TEPPER ABOUT
SAYING THOSE LETTERS AND THE
VISION THAT HE HAD.
AND HE SAID IT WAS A VISION FOR
SPORTS IN THE CITY AND FOR THE
UPTOWN REGION FOR STADIUM AND
PERHAPS A NEW STADIUM. THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT HAS CLEARLY BEEN
ON HIS MIND BEFORE HE GOT TO
THE QUEEN CITY.>> THE
DEMOGRAPHICS IT SORT OF A
NATURAL.
AND YOU HAVE A COMMUNITY
BUILDER.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT
PALLET FOR ME TO PAINT IN.
AND PART OF THE THINGS IS IF
YOU REMEMBER THAT FIRST MEETING
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY AND THE THINGS THAT I
CAN DO FOR THE COMMUNITY.
>> Reporter: SO HE IS PAINTING
MORE OF HIS CANVAS AS HE ROLLS
LONG NOT EVEN TWO YEARS IN.
I SPOKE TO DAVID CAPPER AND DON
GARBER AND THEY SAID THAT THERE
WILL BE A NEW STADIUM AND THAT
WILL PROBABLY START PRETTY SOON
AND WE WILL SEE IF THIS
INVOLVES THE PUBLIC.
I ALSO ASKED ABOUT HIM
VOLUNTARILY SAYING MLS.
AND HE SAID MAYBE THAT HURT IN
THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS.
AND HE IS EXPECTED TO PAY $325
MILLION FOR THIS MAJOR LEAGUE
SOCCER TEAM.
>> PERHAPS HE IS SHOWING HIS
CARDS A LITTLE TOO EARLY.
THANK YOU.
OF COURSE, A LOT NEEDS TO
HAPPEN FOR ALL OF THIS TO COME
TO FRUITION, AND SPECIFICALLY
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A PRACTICE
FACILITY AND HEADQUARTERS.
THIS WOULD BE THE EASTLAND MALL
SITE.
IN ALL WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
$110 MILLION IN MONEY FROM THE
CITY'S HOSPITALITY TAX.
LET'S GO TO HUNTER WITH THE
LATEST ON THIS.
AND DESPITE THE CHEERLEADING
HAPPENING, PEOPLE ARE EXCITED
ABOUT THIS.
BUT THIS DOES COME WITH A COST,
AND THAT IS MAKING IT
CONTROVERSIAL FOR SOME PEOPLE.
>> Reporter: THE MAYOR AND ALL
OF COUNSEL ARE EXCITED ABOUT
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, BUT THEY
HAVE BEEN QUIET WHEN IT COMES
TO THE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
IN ORDER TO HELP BRING THIS
TEAM HERE.
WE KNOW ABOUT THAT $110 MILLION
THAT THE MAYOR PROMISED TO HELP
BRING THE TEAM HERE.
AND TODAY WE LEARNED A LITTLE
BIT MORE ABOUT HOW THAT WILL
HAPPEN.
THE MAYOR IS SAYING THERE WILL
BE TWO FINANCIAL PLANS.
ONE FOR THE EASTLAND SITE
DEVELOPMENT WHERE THE
HEADQUARTERS WILL GO AND THE
SECOND PLAN WILL BE THE
DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNER-CITY
ENTERTAINMENT CENTER.
DAVID TEPPER SAID HE HOPES IT
WILL BE LIKE BROADWAY AND
NASHVILLE.
THEY'VE ONLY DISCUSSED THIS IN
CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS BUT THEY
PROMISED THE PUBLIC WILL BE
INVOLVED FROM HERE ON OUT.
SHE SAID THE NEW TEAM WILL
CONNECT TO THE EAST TO THE WEST
AND SHE IS OPTIMISTIC IT WILL
ALL WORK OUT.
>> WE KNOW THAT WE ARE USHERING
IN NEW OPPORTUNITIES ON OUR
EAST SIDE AND ON OUR WESTSIDE.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING
THROUGH ALL THE CHALLENGES THAT
WILL COME BEFORE US, AND I KNOW
THERE WILL BE CHALLENGES, BUT
AS LONG AS WE STAY WITH OUR
VISION AND PARTNERSHIP, WE WILL
MAKE THIS WORK.
>> THOSE CHALLENGES COULD
DEFINITELY COME WHEN THIS GOES
TO A PUBLIC FORUM.
THE $110 MILLION WOULD BE
HISTORIC WHEN COMPARED TO WHAT
OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE.
FOR EXAMPLE, CINCINNATI PAST
NEARLY $34 MILLION FOR THEIR
TEAM AND ST. LOUIS VOTED DOWN
60 MILLION TOWARD THEIR
STADIUM.
I ASKED BRAXTON WINSTON IF THIS
IS TOO MUCH MONEY THAT THEY ARE
PROMISING TO BRING THIS TEAM
HERE.
+@
PROMISING TO BRING THIS TEAM HERE. HE SAID THAT EVERY CITY HAS
DIFFERENT SCENARIOS AND THIS
WOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE GOING
TO THE NEW MLS TEAM, BUT THOSE
COMMUNITIES THAT IT WILL HAVE
THE GREATEST IMPACT ON.
BACK TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING ME
THE PERFECT SEGUE.
I'M JOINT BY BRAXTON WINSTON.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US AND TO THE
TAXPAYERS AT HOME, WHO SEEM
UPSET THAT THERE WAS NOT A LOT
OF PUBLIC INPUT.>> WE WERE IN
AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
SITUATION, A DEAL AND WE TAKE
THE SAME APPROACH TO.
OUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY IS
TO BE GOOD WITH THE TAXPAYERS
ON
ON THE
ON THE TABLE BEFORE. SO WHEN THEY CAME TO US THING COULD HAPPEN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT
THIS FORWARD AND PUT ENERGY AND
IT IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY,
NOT JUST MLS BUT FOR THE ENTIRE
CITY OF CHARLOTTE.
DO YOU THINK THAT PUBLIC INPUT
COULD CHANGE THE CURRENT
DIRECTION OF THIS?>> I THINK
THERE ARE A LOT OF
CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO
HAVE.
NO ONE HAS DECIDED ON ANYTHING.
AND NO VOTES HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN
THOSE ROOMS.
A LOT OF US HAVE PUT DOWN WHAT
WE WANT TO SEE TO GET BEHIND
THIS.
ONE THING I WANT TO SEE WAS
THIS INVESTMENT AROUND EASTLAND
MALL.
AND A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT
INVESTMENT IN SPORTS IS GOING
TO LOOK LIKE HERE.
AND SO EVERYBODY ELSE HAS THEIR
OWN PRIORITIES.
I SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND NOT THE
ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL AND IT IS
GOING TO BE AN EXCITING TIME AS
WE PUSH THIS INTO PROCESS OVER
THE NEXT YEAR.
>> THANK YOU, SIR.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.
+@WE ARE GETTING THE 30th MLS
TEAM AND THAT WAS ANNOUNCED
THIS MORNING.
THERE HOPING FOR A 2021 SEASON
AND THIS WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN
PRETTY FAST.
IS NOT TOO LATE FOR PUBLIC INPUT
. THAT MONEY HAS NOT BEEN SPENT
YET AND EXPECTED TO BE AN
ONGOING CONVERSATION.
>> THANK YOU.
A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT ALL THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE OUR W CNC
NEWS APP.
+@YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN GET THO
UPDATES ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA
PAGES AND WILL