CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte FC's club academy facility will not be housed at the Eastland mall, at least for now.
Tepper Sports & Entertainment (TSE), which owns Charlotte FC as well as the Carolina Panthers, announced they no longer had plans to be involved with the redevelopment of the Eastland Mall.
"After a great deal of consideration, the timeline for the Eastland project posed challenges that led us to research expedited alternatives," Tepper Sports said in a statement. "We continue to work towards a practice facility for Charlotte FC’s first team, the club’s academy and its MLS Next Pro team and will provide updates as our plans are finalized."
TSE noted that while they have no plans at this time to have a presence at Eastland, they are open to discussions.
Additionally, TSE added that since they took Bank of America Stadium over in 2018, they have contributed over $70 million in facility improvements and doubled events taking place all without public funding from the city of Charlotte.
Charlotte City Council Member Malcolm Graham released a statement expressing his disappointment in TSE's decision to step away from the project.
"Disappointed that TSE has pulled out of the Eastland redevelopment. Public, Private, partnership is the hall mark of our city development. It only works if there’s mutual understanding of the needs of both parties, and respect for a process that involves the public. The city will continue to work with TSE on stadium upgrades and related development. I will assist that much of the discussion goes through our ED committee."
After taking ownership of the Panthers in 2018, David Tepper made it clear he wanted to bring MLS to Charlotte, going as far as sending out surveys to Panthers season ticket holders to gauge interest about a soccer team.
This year is the team's inaugural season on the pitch.
WCNC Charlotte reached out to Charlotte city council members and Crosland Southeast, the company spearheading the redevelopment project, about this announcement but we have not received a response.
The Eastland Mall is set to be redeveloped starting in August. The 69-acre facility could include "residential, office, retail, hotel, and sports and community facilities," according to developers.
The mall closed in 2010 and has since been home to a skatepark and a large flea market. However, the mall's redevelopment has displaced these amenities, and it's unclear if they will have a new home at the facility.
Charlotte FC initially planned to house its headquarters at the site but changed plans later to host the Charlotte FC Elite Academy there. These plans are no longer in place, however.
This is the second major plan in recent months from Tepper that has gone uncompleted. Tepper's plans to build a Panthers training facility in Rock Hill, South Carolina decimated in June. This prompted a lawsuit from York County against organizations owned by Tepper while one of these companies filed for bankruptcy. Tepper's company has also filed a complaint against the county.
To make matters more convoluted for TSE, the company's Chief Executive Officer, Nick Kelly, and Chief Operating Officer, Mark Hart, have both stepped down in the last two months.
For more information on the Eastland Mall redevelopment project, visit here.