It’s a deal. Panthers, York County agree on tax plan to bring headquarters to SC.
The incentive deal to bring the Carolina Panthers to York County is complete.
After more than three hours of debate Monday night, York County Council narrowly voted to approve its end of a package that clears the way for the NFL team to move its headquarters and practice facilities from Charlotte to an undeveloped site off I-77 between Cherry Road and Dave Lyle Boulevard.
The deal on Project Avalanche, as the county termed it, involves the City of Rock Hill foregoing all its property tax revenue from the Panthers project for up to 30 years. The Rock Hill School District would put 75% of its Panthers revenue up in the agreement, and the county 65% of the revenue it collects. Those funds would go to $225 million worth of project infrastructure.
Once the infrastructure is paid for or the incentive expires, all three taxing bodies would receive the full tax amount from the project agreed to in the deal. The deal includes a team proposal noting two phases at a combined $1 billion. Full plans for the area include hotels, restaurants, a world-class medical facility and entertainment venue.
“We’re not just building a practice facility,” said Mark Hart, team COO.
Hart, like anyone else with an opinion to offer Monday night during the only county public hearing on the deal, had to call or Zoom in to the virtual meeting that was held without public gathering due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. It took more than an hour for the 26 speakers either against the plan or who wanted to delay it to speak. Hart was one of four speakers in favor.
Many of the public comments against the plan weren’t against the team or even the team moving to the area. Most dealt with land they said was included in the deal at the last moment, but doesn’t have anything to do — yet — with the Panthers project.
About 880 of the more than 1,100 acres in the incentive deal aren’t related to the headquarters but would come in under the incentive if the team purchased them.
Those additional acres created the narrow 4-3 approval vote within a council that generally supports the team headquarters relocation.
“We’re picking winners,” said Councilman Robert Winkler, who voted no along with council members Christi Cox and Michael Johnson. “We’re picking a winner.”
Winkler said the Panthers deal will make development rare elsewhere in the county, since team owner David Tepper now can offer a pre-approved 4% tax rate and other incentives on nearby properties while developers in a York or Fort Mill industrial park would have to pay 6% without incentives.
“That puts the rest of the county at a disadvantage,” Winkler said.
Tepper now has a built-in advantage, Winkler said.
“We’ve picked Tepper as the winner in York County for the next 30 years,” Winkler said.
Councilwoman Christi Cox referenced the two main public concerns, the inclusion of extra property and the scale of the decision made during a pandemic when people can’t gather.
“This is the biggest property tax giveaway in the history of York County, maybe in South Carolina,” she said. “And we did it during a pandemic.”
Councilman Joel Hamilton said while he understands public concern, and much of what was expressed came from a lack of information or misinformation. Hamilton said he wouldn’t want to explain decades from now why council whiffed on a billion-dollar deal because of a Zoom issue.
“An investment like this has never been seen in York County,” he said.
Councilman William “Bump” Roddey agreed, the opportunity to bring the Panthers facility to York County was too big to miss.
“This is going to be one of those destinations that can compete with any of them across the world,” he said.
Council members in favor of the deal called it a stimulus package of its own for the area, particularly when the business climate is tenuous with ongoing coronavirus impacts. Hart told council, as he’s told other public bodies in recent months, the plan is for a transformational project.
“This is a great economic story for all of us,” Hart said. “These are new jobs. This is a shot in the arm for many businesses in York County, big and small.”
Councilwoman Allison Love initially was a “no” vote on the Panthers deal. Ultimately she decided to vote for it and swing the decision due to the abundance of business and economic impact an NFL team headquarters will have in Rock Hill and beyond.
“Everybody’s going to benefit from it,” Love said.
Yet she said she realized what the deal will mean specific to Rock Hill, too.
“They want to be a big city,” Love said, “and we’re going to help them get there with this vote.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 10:20 PM with the headline "It’s a deal. Panthers, York County agree on tax plan to bring headquarters to SC.."
