Barton Malow will start construction of a new $52 million stadium for the Kannapolis Intimidators within a couple of months, following city council’s Sept. 24 project approval.
The Michigan-based contractor with offices in Charlotte is overseeing multiple parts of the city’s downtown revitalization, including streetscaping, infrastructure, the Salisbury Post reports.
The stadium will have 4,930 seats, 3,218 of which will be fixed. There also will be luxury suites, a party deck, berm seating, dugout box seats, a picnic terrace, an outfield bar, right field boxes, and 6,000 square feet of club and banquet space.
The new stadium is being billed as a future home of other sports and entertainment, a news release says. These would include include concerts, an expansive events and meeting space, a public park with restrooms and a kids’ zone.
The work will be financed through limited obligation bonds, which are expected to be approved through the North Carolina Local Government Commission on Oct. 2.
“This is the right choice for Kannapolis,” city manager Mike Legg said in a news release. “The momentum of this facility has already garnered commitments of $128 million in investments in our downtown including apartments, a brewery, restaurants, office space and potentially a hotel.”
Legg said city officials have spoken to “hundreds of business owners and developers,” each reporting that without the sports and entertainment venue, the new investment would not be happening.
The venue will be leased by Temerity Baseball LLC, the tentative new owners of the minor-league Intimidators pending expected final approval by the South Atlantic League in mid-October.
According to the 30-year lease, Temerity will pay the city $450,000 annually for the first three years. Lease payments would increase $35,000 every three years thereafter.