Mecklenburg County Votes to Renovate Memorial Stadium

CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte’s memorial stadium is historic. But the venue’s relevance is more like ancient history.

Talks surrounding a brand new stadium for a Major League Soccer franchise fell through. Now it looks like Mecklenburg County is ready to move forward with a multi-million dollar renovation instead.

“They’ve got to do something,” says Eric Spanberg with the Charlotte Business Journal. “This stadium is 82 years old. There are only a handful of events in there.”

Memorial Stadium sits empty most days. The historic venue in the Elizabeth neighborhood has hosted as few as a dozen events in recent years.

“This will be a stadium that is going to be able to be used by the community,” says Mecklenburg County commissioner Matthew Ridenhour.

Mecklenburg County commissioners voted to approve a $32 million project to renovate Memorial Tuesday night. The deal will also bring the Charlotte Independence soccer team to Elizabeth.

“The millennial demo is really what soccer’s growth is built on,” says Independence president Jim McPhilliamy.

The Independence is currently playing at the Matthews Sportsplex, and losing money.

Now they will be closer to Uptown, and the team’s fan base.

“Being in that group where they are, in those apartments and those things, it’ll be a lot easier for them to access us,” says McPhilliamy. “It’ll be easier for us to access them.”

The renovation, which would be completed by 2021, would also allow Memorial to host concerts, festivals, high school football games, soccer exhibitions; and help bring in more amateur sporting events.

“That kind of tourism is crucial to the city,” says Spanberg. “They like to fill those hotels on the weekends. And so when you have a renovated stadium, it will be much more attractive to bring in all kinds of events.”

Ridenhour was the only commissioner to vote against the plan. He says Memorial needs a makeover, but worries about the impact on other projects.

“Every dollar that we spend on Memorial Stadium capital expenses is a dollar that we don’t have to spend somewhere else,” says the commissioner. “I’ve been a big proponent of our parks, especially of our greenways, so I’d like to see some of those dollars allocated to other uses within the county.”

The Charlotte Hounds lacrosse team is currently the only tenant in Memorial Stadium.

The renovation plan would install artificial turf on the field. And the project includes more than $5 million to upgrade Independence Park.