The 8 biggest changes proposed for Bank of America Stadium

A closer look at how the stadium could change, assuming Monday's renovation deal goes through

You’re reading a special BONUS ISSUE of The Charlotte Ledger, following yesterday’s big news about the deal on Bank of America Stadium renovations between the city and Tepper Sports & Entertainment.

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The changes fans will notice most at a renovated football stadium: enhanced public space, new seats, ‘social patio’

Loads of information emerged Monday on the deal to renovate Bank of America Stadium.

It’s a lot to take in. It’s a pricey commitment. People have strong opinions. We’re here for you: The Ledger will continue to examine various aspects of the deal ahead of the planned June 24 City Council vote.

Today, we’re looking at what exactly would change at Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC.

(If you need a quick recap of the deal, check out our breaking news piece from Monday. Or Google it.)

The short version, in a handy bullet point format (that seems to be in vogue these days):

• City contribution: $650M in tourism tax revenue, which must be spent on tourism-related projects

• Tepper Sports & Entertainment contribution: $150M during construction phase (estimated through 2029); total stadium contributions are estimated at $688M, which includes previous renovations and maintenance and other expenses through 2039

• Non-relocation: The Panthers would agree not to move out of Charlotte until at least 2039

• Key date: City Council vote scheduled for June 24

The Ledger’s Tony Mecia attended Monday’s presentation at the Government Center on the deal.

Here are 8 of the biggest changes being proposed that are noticeable to fans, with explanations from Caroline Wright, Tepper Sports & Entertainment’s senior vice president and chief venues officer. She gave the commentary at a City Council committee meeting Monday:

1. “Social patio”

What it is: A stand-up social area in the upper deck where you can talk to people while watching the game

Explanation:

This is the social patio on the 500 level that we are super excited about, and really just a way to embrace the Charlotte skyline and also bring that into the bowl, to celebrate what Charlotte has. When you come to the city from the airport, the stadium is one of the first things that you see, so we think it’s important that when fans come to visit that they will also embrace the skyline at the same time, while we are providing a new social atmosphere for our fans.

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2. Enhanced public spaces outside the stadium

What it is: The Panthers envision a park-like setting for community events, on both the South Lawn and near the north entrance.

Explanation:

South Lawn:

We know that we have an opportunity on the South Lawn to really create something special for the community to use when we’re not open for business.

North entrance:

We have some property there that allows us to have a bit of a congregation space. Many sports entertainment venues have areas to come and watch events that may not be related to what’s going on inside the facility. We think this is a great community asset. …

Right now in the city when we have events, a lot of activity happens up on Tryon [Street], and it doesn’t make its way down to the stadium, so [this] is really an opportunity for us to think differently about how to engage some of those community events.

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3. New video boards

What it is: In addition to new scoreboards inside the stadium, the Panthers envision screens projecting outside the stadium, too.

Explanation:

We’ve got new stunning LEDs, video technology, both inside and out. That’s really important. The last time our scoreboards were replaced was in 2013-14, so they are reaching the end of their current life.

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4. Replacing all the seats

What it is: All those blue seats that you can see clearly at Panthers games are the originals from 1996. The Panthers say they’ll replace every seat in the stadium with modern seats.

Explanation:

The seats — they’re no longer made. They’re 30 years old. We’re cobbling together parts to make sure we have working cupholders and so on.

We need to make sure we replace all of them, that we have all the tools we need when we fix and replace.

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5. New audio

What it is: A better sound system inside the stadium that’s not muffled and can be heard clearly everywhere inside

Explanation:

We’ve heard significant challenges with the audio: “I can’t hear what’s going on.” “It’s not clear for me in certain spaces of the building.”

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6. Upgrading escalators and elevators

What it is: Quicker and more convenient ways to reach the upper levels

Explanation:

We’ve got to move the people and move them fast. Our fans appreciate when they are in good working order.

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7. Expanded team store

What it is: Greatly expanding the size of the retail space at Bank of America Stadium. More merch!

Explanation:

Our team store is a little over 4,000 square feet. That’s one of the smallest, and we have two teams. The average in the NFL right now is 12,000 [square feet], so really looking at our retail opportunities to expand that program. …

This is a good demonstration from a team store perspective, but also the corner of Mint and Graham — how are we engaging an improved front door? What are we doing from a pedestrian flow perspective, and how are we engaging the community to come down and participate during the day, looking for ways to increase pedestrian traffic?

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8. Better configurations for corporate events

What it is: Under David Tepper’s ownership, the number of corporate and private events at the stadium has risen from 20 to 90 events a year, team officials said.

Explanation:

A significant portion of the corporate community and private community comes to us asking for space to host meetings, to host events. The building wasn’t built for that, but we’ve been able to manipulate it in a way, and we hope that part of the investment in the future will be to continue to provide access for the corporate- and private-event community.

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Honorable mentions of upgrades included in the plan:

• Concessions upgrades. Everyone eats. Can the food be better?

• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. Snoozy upgrades, but important.

• Restrooms. It seems as though there must have been advances in restroom layouts and tech in the last 30 years.

Here is the full list of projects of the stadium renovations presented Monday:

🎥 Watch Tepper Sports & Entertainment’s “sizzle video” on the renovations.

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Not included in renovation

1. Roof/retractable dome

Explanation: “It is not in our plans today. We have a great skyline, and the environment of being outside at a sporting event is a really important piece for us.”

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2. Entertainment district surrounding the stadium

Explanation: “There’s hope and opportunities for developers to come and participate around our neighborhood and really kind of elevate what’s going on.”

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On Monday, we answered about 30 questions from Ledger readers about the Panthers stadium deal

Yesterday, we invited our community of paying members to ask questions, some of which we were able to put to representatives of the Panthers and the city to help residents understand the deal.

There was a pleasant and civil discussion, along with some good questions, including:

• “What reassurance is Tepper going to give that he won’t bail on all these plans shortly after it gets approved?” (Drew)

• “Why couldn’t they add at least a canopy to provide shade for the stands?” (Roman)

• “Will the renovations put added financial burden on existing PSL owners?” (Adam)

• “Is the $650M a hard cap number regardless of what happens to construction costs and what Tepper decides to spend on the stadium during the designated time period?” (Chris)

If you’re a paying Ledger member and you have questions about the stadium deal that we can help answer, feel free to jump in. We’ll try to answer them or will ask someone who knows. (If you’re not a member, join here.)

Here’s the link to the discussion:

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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman