
South Carolina‘s effort to land a Carolina Panthers practice facility moved forward Tuesday, when the state House of Representatives approved a bill that includes tax breaks.
Under owner David Tepper–who completed his purchase of the franchise last summer–it has been expected that the Panthers will make long-term plans to upgrade their facilities. Part of that effort involves building a new training complex/team headquarters, which would give the organization a replacement for their practice fields located near Bank of America Stadium in Uptown Charlotte.
South Carolina officials have been working to lure the Panthers, with a focus on potentially building the facility in York County, located just over the state line from Charlotte. A proposal being debated at the state level would give the Panthers tax breaks worth about $115 million over 15 years. The bill advanced through the South Carolina House of Representatives in a 90-25 vote on Tuesday, allowing it to proceed to the State Senate. More from The State:
The tax breaks are worth roughly $115 million over the next 15 years, but House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, argued the team’s move to South Carolina would spur development that would outweigh those incentives. Details of that cost-benefit analysis, however, had not been made public by Tuesday.
“With the NFL, with the Panthers — they give a lot more than they can take,” Simrill said. “It is a win, win, win.”
Panthers’ owner David Tepper, a billionaire who bought the team last June, has expressed interest in moving his team’s operations to York County from Charlotte. However, the Panthers plan to continue playing their home games at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Tepper and other Panthers officials have met privately with Gov. Henry McMaster and legislative leaders to request the tax incentives.
Should the practice facility plans move forward, the Panthers would be able to accomplish a few objectives. Along with obtaining a modern training complex/headquarters, the organization would also be able to expand its presence in South Carolina while keeping home games in Uptown Charlotte. Addressing the long-term status of Bank of America Stadium is also expected to be on the Panthers’ radar, with Tepper indicating recently that a major renovation of the facility is a possibility.
Image of Bank of America Stadium courtesy Carolina Panthers.
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